Eryn Rae (BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2022)

Eryn Rae (BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2022)

Last year, Eryn Rae fought off stiff competition to claim the prestigious title of BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year, and this year will be gracing our stages with her traditional yet distinct sound.

Hailing from the Scottish Borders, Eryn Rae has been playing the fiddle from the age of 7 under the tuition of renowned Shetland fiddler, Catriona Macdonald. Now based in Glasgow, Eryn recently completed her studies at the prestigious Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, receiving a First-Class Honours Degree in Traditional Music.

As well as picking up the 2022 title of BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year, she was one of four finalists in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awardsin 2017 which resulted in a performance at the Royal Albert Hall.

Combining influences from all over Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton and Scandinavia to name but a few, Eryn's style is energetic and distinctive, with hints to elements of each tradition.  Eryn has toured both nationally and further afield with various others including as part of rising star Callum Beattie’s band. In March 2022, this included playing a sold out show at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow as support act for Amy MacDonald.

With support from Creative Scotland, this year's Festival has a significant focus on showcasing some of Scotland’s best young folk musicians of the last few years, giving long overdue exposure to Scottish artistes whose careers and profile building was halted by the pandemic.  This will include a special feature concert hosted by Hands up for Trad Director, Simon Thoumire featuring the winners from the last three years (and hopefully the title holder announced in February 2023 too!)