Who will pick up the young trad musician title?

Six of Scotland’s finest young musicians will compete for the crown of BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2019 this weekend.

Presented by Bruce MacGregor and part of Celtic Connections 2019, live performances at the event will also be filmed and posted on the BBC Radio Scotland website, live from the City Halls, Glasgow..

The six finalists competing to win the prestigious title are:

Luc McNally, 24, Dipton, Co Durham (now Glasgow) – guitar and voice

Luc was a finalist in last year’s contest but had to pull out at the eleventh hour when he injured his arm. He’s delighted to be back to full health for this year’s competition. Luc began playing in a youth band at 14 and became immersed in the trad styles of Northumberland, Scotland and Ireland. He began a BA degree in Scottish Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, left to play professionally for a spell, then picked up his studies again, this time at the University of the Highlands and Islands. He plays with, among others, the traditional/fusion band Dosca and acoustic trio Snuffbox.

Cameron Ross, 24, Stonehaven – fiddle

Cameron Ross is a fiddle player from the North East of Scotland who has studied Scottish music at the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music, North East of Scotland Music School, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and spent a year studying bluegrass and old time music at East Tennessee State University. He incorporates these different styles in his playing, compositions and arrangements and has toured internationally.

Ross Miller, 23, Linlithgow – bagpipes

Ross graduated in July 2017 from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a first-class-honours degree in Traditional Music. He plays in the World champion Inveraray and District Pipe Band and is a highly successful solo piper. Ross also enjoys performing at festivals and ceilidhs across Scotland and globally.

Catherine Tinney, 27, Skye – voice

Catherine was immersed in Gaelic culture and traditional music from a young age. She previously attended the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music in Plockton and is currently based in Glasgow where she is a Gaelic singing and language tutor.

Benedict Morris, 20, Glasgow – fiddle

Benedict was introduced to trad music at the age of five through Comhaltas and is now in his final year on the BMus classical course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. His current project is collaboration with guitarist Cormac Crummey. He has toured the UK, Ireland and Europe with dance shows including Velocity with World Champion Irish dancer David Geaney.

Sarah Markey, 24, Coatbridge – flute

Developing her music from a young age at her local Comhaltas branch in Coatbridge, Sarah has successfully competed at various fleadhs and music competitions. With a degree in Spanish and Italian, Sarah has travelled extensively to experience new cultures and traditions. She is a regular on the Glasgow session scene and is also a member of up-and-coming band Suas.

The programme will be transmitted this Sunday, 27 January, on BBC Radio Scotland, from 5.05-8pm.