Catriona MacDonald
Encyclopedia
Catriona McDonald is a musician and teacher from Shetland and is considered to be one of the world's leading traditional fiddle
players.
MBE
in 1981 at age 11 (she considers herself to be a late starter), was a founding member of Shetland's Young Heritage
and won the Shetland Young Fiddler of the Year
competition in 1983. In 1992 MacDonald won the "BBC Radio Two Young Tradition Award" and went on to study voice for four years at the Royal College of Music
in London. After graduating she moved to the borders area of Scotland to focus on her professional fiddle playing.
MacDonald is an active teacher with a passion for sharing her knowledge of traditional fiddle techniques and vernacular
. She now teaches on the BMus Folk degree at Newcastle University and has worked as a tutor on Scottish Music Degree at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
in Glasgow, and the Universities of Limerick and Stirling. Catriona regularly tutors at a variety of summer schools and residential courses including "Burwell Bash", "Shetland Fiddle Frenzy", "Folkworks" and "Blazin' in Beauly" (Blazin' Fiddles
' own summer school)
As well as her own band, MacDonald plays with Scottish fiddle
band Blazin' Fiddles
, the female fiddle band String Sisters
and folk big band The Unusual Suspects.
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
players.
Background
MacDonald started studying fiddle with Dr Tom AndersonTom Anderson (fiddler)
Dr. Tom Anderson MBE, was a renowned Shetland fiddler and teacher. He was affectionately known to his peers as "Muckle Tammie" .Dr...
MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
in 1981 at age 11 (she considers herself to be a late starter), was a founding member of Shetland's Young Heritage
Shetland's Young Heritage
Heritage Fiddlers is a group of Shetland fiddle players who originally formed in 1981 under the guidance of the late Dr Tom Anderson MBE, who put the group together from the young pupils that he tutored. The group was originally called Tammy's Peerie Angels, then Shetland's Young Heritage...
and won the Shetland Young Fiddler of the Year
Young Fiddler of the Year
Shetland's Young Fiddler of the Year is an annual competition held over two days organised by the Shetland Folk Society.It is open to fiddle players 16 or under from Shetland with around 80 entrants each year...
competition in 1983. In 1992 MacDonald won the "BBC Radio Two Young Tradition Award" and went on to study voice for four years at the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
in London. After graduating she moved to the borders area of Scotland to focus on her professional fiddle playing.
MacDonald is an active teacher with a passion for sharing her knowledge of traditional fiddle techniques and vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
. She now teaches on the BMus Folk degree at Newcastle University and has worked as a tutor on Scottish Music Degree at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a conservatoire of music, drama, and dance in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Educational Association, it is the busiest performing arts venue in Scotland...
in Glasgow, and the Universities of Limerick and Stirling. Catriona regularly tutors at a variety of summer schools and residential courses including "Burwell Bash", "Shetland Fiddle Frenzy", "Folkworks" and "Blazin' in Beauly" (Blazin' Fiddles
Blazin' Fiddles
Blazin' Fiddles are a contemporary Scottish fiddle band from the Highlands and Islands. They formed in 1998 to showcase the Highlands and Islands' distinct regional fiddle styles...
' own summer school)
As well as her own band, MacDonald plays with Scottish fiddle
Scottish fiddling
Scottish fiddling, even to many an untrained ear, can be distinguished from other Celtic and folk fiddling styles by its particular precision of execution and energy in the delivery. The style has a very large repertoire consisting of a great variation of rhythms and key signatures, arguably more...
band Blazin' Fiddles
Blazin' Fiddles
Blazin' Fiddles are a contemporary Scottish fiddle band from the Highlands and Islands. They formed in 1998 to showcase the Highlands and Islands' distinct regional fiddle styles...
, the female fiddle band String Sisters
String Sisters
String Sisters are a Grammy long-listed folk supergroup made up six of the world's leading female fiddlers.-Formation:...
and folk big band The Unusual Suspects.
Groups and collaborations
- 1994 — Opus Blue (with Ian Lowthian)
- 2007 — Blazin' Fiddles Live (with Blazin' FiddlesBlazin' FiddlesBlazin' Fiddles are a contemporary Scottish fiddle band from the Highlands and Islands. They formed in 1998 to showcase the Highlands and Islands' distinct regional fiddle styles...
) - 2007 — Live (with String SistersString SistersString Sisters are a Grammy long-listed folk supergroup made up six of the world's leading female fiddlers.-Formation:...
) - 2001 — A Shot at GloryA Shot at Glory (album)A Shot at Glory is a 2002 original soundtrack album by Mark Knopfler with music from the film of the same name, directed by Michael Corrente...
soundtrack (with Mark KnopflerMark KnopflerMark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
)
External links
- Official website
- Official MySpace page
- Catriona MacDonald profile at NMENMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...