Alasdair Whyte
’S ann à Muile a tha an Dr Alasdair C. MacIlleBhàin. Tha e air a bhith a’ seinn sa Ghàidhlig on a bha e beag. Bidh e tric air àrd-ùrlar agus air meadhanan eile a’ seinn agus a’ cleasachd. Chaidh Bonn Òir a’ Chomuinn Ghàidhealaich a bhuileachadh air ann an 2006. Bidh e cuideachd a’ dèanadh nan òran aige fhèin agus a’ sgrìobhadh ann an cruthan eadar-dhealaichte.  Tha Alasdair a’ fuireach ann an Glaschu an-ceartair far a bheil obair làn-ùine aige na rannsaiche aig Oilthigh Ghlaschu. Chaidh ainmeachadh mar Thosgaire na Gàidhlig le Riaghaltas na h-Alba ann an 2019 agus 2020.
Dr Alasdair C. Whyte belongs to Mull. He was brought up in a family of musicians and has been singing in Gaelic for as long as he can remember. He regularly sings and performs and is as equally comfortable singing unaccompanied as he is in mixed-media performances. He was awarded the Men’s Gold Medal at the Royal National Mòd in 2006 at the age of 19. He writes his own songs, as well as poetry and prose.  Alasdair currently lives in Glasgow. He holds a full-time Research Fellowship at the University of Glasgow. He was named Gaelic Ambassador of the Year by the Scottish Government in 2019 and 2020.

Tim Ridley
Tim studied the organ, percussion and church music at the Royal Academy of Music, London, later followed by PhD studies at Brunel University.  On leaving the RAM in 1988, Tim toured the world as a session keyboard and percussion player, while a regular band member with the Brotherhood of Man and The Supremes.  He covered many other musical bases, ranging from orchestral piano with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales to playing keyboards for the first ever pantomime to be performed in Dubai, also working as a peripatetic teacher of drums, percussion and jazz piano at various schools in the south of England.

Tim was appointed to the full-time music department staff at Marlborough College in 1996, in charge of Music Technology and, later, Director of Chapel Music.  Since 2009, he has been Director of Music at Glenalmond College, responsible for the day-to-day running of the Music Department, together with teaching academic Music and Music Technology and directing the Chapel and Chamber Choirs.  Tim is a member of both the Main and Jazz Examiner Panels for the ABRSM.

Derek Fraser
A native of Dumfries, Derek was a pupil of Walter Cowan and Tom Speirs. He competed successfully on the professional solo piping circuit in the 1970s and 1980s when he won many prizes, including the Silver Medal at the Argyllshire Gathering in 1989.  He is currently a committee member of the Solo Piping Judges’ Association and judges at solo piping competitions throughout the UK. He is also the Convener of the Northern Meeting and the Honorary Secretary of the Piobaireachd Society.

Allan Craig
Allan is currently the Pipe Band Drumming and Drum kit Music Instructor for Skye, Lochalsh and Lochaber schools.  He has over 40 years of experience teaching and playing in pipe bands and ceilidh bands and other types of bands musical genres; including rock, pop and jazz and has also taught students drumming and percussion at Feis Lochabir Feis Phàislig, Feis Bharraigh and Fèis Tìr an Eòrna on a regular basis over the years. Allan has been the lead Drumming Instructor for the RSPBA Summer School in Glasgow for the past nine years is a full-time RSPBA Drumming Adjudicator and PDQB Assessor, holding the highest levels of music certification within the RSPBA.
Before moving to his current teaching position in the Highlands, Allan was Leading Drummer of the Grade One Pipe Band: Lomond & Clyde; where he won many band and drumming titles; including two World Drumming titles as Leading Drummer.  He has been Lead Drummer at the Grade One bands of 100 Pipers Whisky and the Glasgow Skye pipe band, winning many band and drumming titles. Allan also had an illustrious band solo career where he has won many awards as a solo player at juvenile and adult level and making the final of the World Solo Drumming on many occasions where he obtained a top three position in the final.

Katrina Marzella
Katrina Marzella-Wheeler was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1983 and is well-established in the brass music world as an instrumentalist, conductor and teacher. Katrina was the solo baritone horn player of the world famous Black Dyke Band from 2011 to 2020. She won the inaugural BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Soloist of the Year in 2004, as well as the British Open Solo Championships in 2006 and 2007, and the Ern Keller International Soloist Award in 2007 and 2008. She was runner-up at the 5th European Soloist Competition in Linz in 2010 and was awarded the ‘Best Soloist’ award at the 2014 European Brass Band Championships in Perth.

Katrina is passionate about raising the profile of her chosen instrument, the baritone horn, and has premiered over 25 new solo works for her instrument with piano, brass bands, wind bands and orchestra. Katrina was integral to the development of the Yamaha Neo baritone horn and performs exclusively as a Yamaha Artist on the instrument she helped design

For many years, Katrina practised as a lawyer in Manchester, England. After returning from a two-year post with her young family in Naples, Italy, Katrina is in increasing demand as a conductor across mainland Europe. In recent years, she has been the guest conductor of Eikanger Bjørksvik Mussiklag (NO), Festival Brass Band (BE), Regensburg Brass Band (DE), Aldbourne Band (UK), the cooperation band (UK) and is currently the conductor of Kingdom Brass (UK).

Ellen Martin
Ellen Martin began her career in Birmingham where she taught cello for the Birmingham Music Service and at the Birmingham Conservatoire Junior Department, also studying with the British Suzuki Music Association at this time.  She now runs the Ayr Suzuki Cello Group and is the founding teacher of the award-winning string project in East Ayrshire, taking her groups to many conferences and events including a performance with James Macmillan in the House of Lords. She also teaches for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and is a director of the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra.  Ellen regularly teaches and delivers training sessions at conferences and workshops, worldwide.

Maureen Rutherford
Mo was very much involved in Scottish traditional music from a very young age, playing both fiddle and piano in her dad’s bands.  She went on to study music at Aberdeen University, graduating with honours in piano performance.
Mo was Music Director for the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society for 10 years and has been our official SCD accompanist for many years, as well as adjudicating some of our traditional music classes.

Dougie Flower
Dougie is a freelance musician, teacher and Musical Director, based in Perth.  He works with various groups including Scottish Police and Community Choir, National Youth Choir of Scotland, Horsecross Arts and the Kinross Kacophony Orchestra.  He also teaches piano at Morrison’s Academy and Strathallan School.

Anne Holland
Anne has recently retired from a music teaching career spanning over 40 years, the latter half spent at Strathallan School where, in addition to teaching piano, she regularly accompanied pupils in concerts and exams. Anne has been very involved in many local music groups as participant, accompanist and conductor.