Power play is music to ears of supremo

A MOVER and shaker on Ross-shire’s traditional music scene was stunned to find herself mentioned in the same breath as household names Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Adele on a "power list" of the industry’s leading lights.

Fiona Dalgetty, chief executive of Fèis Rois, a group which has introduced thousands of people to traditional music through tuition and ceilidh trails, said it was "quite extraordinary" to be included on the list of the 40 most powerful women working in the music industry.

Ms Dalgetty, who will be a guest on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour next Friday, was hailed alongside groundbreakers championing the work of other women and making the music business more diverse, equal and creative.

She admitted: "It is quite amazing to end up on a list with these internationally acclaimed women! It is a huge honour to be nominated by my peers as someone they feel is championing and supporting the work of other women in the music industry in Scotland. It is quite extraordinary to see your name on a list that includes world renowned artists like Beyonce, Adele, Dua Lipa and Nicola Benedetti, as well as hugely influential people like Vanessa Reid who is leading on the PRS Foundation’s Keychange campaign."

The working mum of two, who recently returned to work after having her second child, still finds time to play fiddle in her band. She was brought up in Nigg and went to school in Tain, graduating with an MA (Hons) Celtic Studies from the University of Edinburgh before going to build a career in the arts. She programmed a Scottish showcase at Europe’s biggest Celtic festival in Brittany and has blazed a trail in Australia and Canada.

Heading Fèis Rois for almost 10 years, she’s proud that the organisation is financially sustainable and that its turnover has doubled in that time. She said: "Some of the greatest achievements for the organisation have been growing the reach of our work so that anyone who wants to play traditional music has the opportunity to do so. We have developed new programmes of work for adult learners, care experienced young people, and people with a wide range of additional support needs."

A former participant in Fèis Rois herself, she’s delighted to provide learning opportunities for young people from Ross-shire who also open up new markets for Scottish traditional music around the world.

New commissions such as The Voyage of the Hector, composed by John Somerville, and The Seer by Fortrose fiddle player, Lauren MacColl, are amongst other highlights. Both received critical acclaim and have been appreciated by local audiences in Ross-shire and well beyond.

The full list, headed up by Beyoncé, can be seen at https://tinyurl.com/y7k768ah