I’m really chuffed that my latest album, I Am Disposed to Mirth, has been shortlisted in the Scots Trad Music Awards 2026.

The result is down to public vote and if you have time, it can be really fun to take the time to listen to all of the nominations and then vote for your favourite, along with the other categories!
Find out more and vote for your favourites here.

Following the nomination, Hands Up for Trad asked me the following questions:

Tell us about yourself
“I am a fiddle and viola player, known for cross-genre collaboration, recording and performance. I’m mostly a session musician but my passion projects include LYRE and Strathspey Queens and I also love being in the amazing, Brian Finnegan’s band.

As an educator, I spend a lot of my time thinking and sharing ideas about fiddle/violin pedagogy and am very lucky to have many outlets for this, including Mull Music Makers, Mull Fiddle Week and a bespoke technique class for the fiddlers on the Traditional Music Degree (and Masters) at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.”

Any particular career highlights?
“In September 2026, LYRE, my trio with Alice Allen and Marit Fält, recorded our second album at the amazing British Grove Studios in London! It was the dreamiest three days and a total privilege to set foot in the iconic Studio 1 again, let alone capture a whole album with my favourite project and collaborators. Having mixed our debut, Gin & Strathspey, myself – another string to my bow – I’m excited to be donning that hat again and getting the album ready for release at our 2027 headline Celtic Connections show.

Another recent-ish development is the creation of Mull Fiddle Week, which is now in it’s 4th year. I’m extremely lucky to have been able to organise three sell-out courses in Tobermory so far, where the focus is on dissecting and learning the real nuts and bolts of fiddle playing (cello, flute/whistle and strummy instruments too!), as well as hosting concerts, sessions, a ceilidh, boat trip and famous sea-food feast. I’m very proud of the culture that we have created and that extends from choices of tutors, developing partnerships with local artists and businesses, right through to offering daily, restorative yoga classes and a wide selection of delicious low and alcohol free alternatives, something that is close to my heart. There is choice and something for everybody!”

What are your plans for the future?
“I have an album that was recorded back in 2016 that sits on a dusty hard-drive and I’d love to carve out the time to get that mixed and out to the world. It’s a bit scary, as I wrote and recorded my first 5 actual songs, which is a bit of a change from instrumental life.

I’ll also continue my very rewarding work with Mull Music Makers, get back to my pedagogy book, and generally plan to have a nice sparse diary of hand-selected shows to complement my event organising and educator roles.”