Published: 09 Feb 2018
The nominees have been announced for the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2018 and Scotland once again has a strong prominence across the nine categories. The awards will be held in Northern Ireland for the first time, with a glittering ceremony taking place on the 4th of April at Belfast’s Waterfront.
Three out of four nominees in the Folk Singer of the Year category are female Scottish artists with Karine Polwart, Julie Folwis and Siobhan Miller all up for the award. Polwart is also nominated in the album of the year category for A Pocket of Wind Resistance with Pippa Murphy; while Siobhan Miller gets a second nomination in the Best Traditional Track Category for Bank of Newfoundland, taken from her Creative Scotland funded 2017 release, Strata.
The number of Scottish artists included in the list highlights the breadth of talent which the traditional music scene in Scotland is currently producing- Siobhan Anderson, Creative Scotland
Elephant Sessions are going from strength to strength, with a nomination in the Best Band category, while rising stars Ryan Young and Ímar are nominated in the Horizons category.
The Best Duo category features two Scottish acts: harp and fiddle duo Catriona McKay and Chris Stout, and pipes and whistles powerhouse Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton, who won the award in 2017.
Ross Ainslie is also recognised in the Best Musician category alongside the 2016 BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year concertina player, Mohsen Amini.
After the Scottish duo Josie Duncan and Pablo Lafuente clinched the prestigious Young Folk Award in 2017, Scotland is represented again in 2018, this time by fiddle and guitar duo Andrew Herrington and Harry Gorski-Brown, going by the name of Josiah and Ludwig.
The Album of the Year category is open for public vote now on the BBC Radio 2 website and closes on the 16th of February.
Siobhan Anderson, Music Officer at Creative Scotland said: “Congratulations to all the nominees. The number of Scottish artists included in the list highlights the breadth of talent which the traditional music scene in Scotland is currently producing. The artists put forward are making a real name for themselves, not only across the UK, but also internationally - aided by successful performances at Lorient Festival and showcase events such as The Visit and Showcase Scotland.
"It's great to see three out of four nominations in the Folk Singer of the Year category go to Scottish female artists, and many of the nominees have come up through the Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award as well as various outstanding music courses across the country to gain success at a very young age. We wish all the nominees the best of luck!”
The winners of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2018 will be announced on Wednesday 4 April.
