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Eryn Rae wins BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician for 2022

BBC Eryn RaeBBC
Eryn Rae saw off five other finalists to take the prestigious award

A fiddle player from the Borders has been named the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of 2022.

Eryn Rae, 21, of Jedburgh, who now lives in Glasgow, saw off five other finalists to take the honour.

She was presented with the award by BBC Scotland commissioning editor Gareth Hydes.

Ms Rae said she was "thrilled" with the win and hoped to use it as a "springboard" for her musical career as previous winners have done.

The competition was able to return to the City Halls in Glasgow for the first time in two years.

'Massive boost'

Presented by Joy Dunlop and Bruce McGregor, the event was broadcast live on BBC Radio Scotland and BBC ALBA in front of a socially-distant audience.

"This has been such a special evening," said Ms Rae.

"To be back in City Halls performing alongside the other finalists was just so moving and uplifting.

"After what has been a tough two years for the performing arts industry, events like tonight are just a massive boost which signal a hope for better things to come."

She faced tough competition from Inverness singer Saffron Hanvidge, Skye piper Malin Lewis, and Glasgow trio Breanna Wilson (fiddle), Malachy Arnold (clarsach) and Sophie Joint (piano) for the award.

Mr Hydes said they had all performed impressively.

Eryn Rae
The winner gets a recording session with BBC Scotland as part of the prize

"As ever, we were blown away by the sheer talent on the stage and it's always very difficult to choose just one winner," he said.

"Eryn's performance was breath-taking, an absolute celebration of the rich and vibrant traditional music scene we're so lucky to enjoy in Scotland.

"I want to join all the other judges in congratulating her, and hope that we can once again fully embrace our nation's fantastic live traditional music scene as we start to emerge from what has been a tough couple of years."

Ms Rae started learning the fiddle at the age of seven under the tuition of renowned Shetland fiddler, Catriona Macdonald.

Now based in Glasgow, she is about to embark on her final year studying traditional music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

She wins a recording session with BBC Scotland and she will perform at the Scots Trad Music Awards and be given a one-year membership to the Musicians Union.