Mareel has been nominated for Venue of the Year at this year’s Scots Trad Music Awards.
Managed by Shetland Arts Development Agency, Mareel is the UK’s most northerly music, cinema and creative industries centre. Providing a year round programme of live music, film, education and other performance events, Mareel is a hub and a focus for the creative communities not just in Shetland but beyond.
The shortlists were drawn from hundreds of public nominations by a panel of music industry experts, who also help choose the winners, along with the results of an online vote held over the next few weeks.
Shetland Arts’ Director, Gwilym Gibbons, said: “In Mareel’s first year of operations we had over 100 ticketed events in the Main Auditorium, and the whole project has been going really well. It’s also great to be welcoming a nominee for Best Instrumentalist of the Year, Chris Stout, to Mareel, nominated for Venue of the Year and shortlisted for Best Building in Scotland, this week for what’s sure to be an unforgettable live performance.”
Chris Stout, nominated for Instrumentalist of the Year, is arguably Shetland's most dynamic and progressive musician. The fiddler has played and recorded in Mareel several times, including performances with Fiddlers' Bid and The Scottish Ensemble. Stout will be playing a concert in Mareel this Thursday (7 Nov) with Finlay MacDonald and Ross Martin, showcasing pieces from their new album The Cauld Wind, which was recorded in Mareel's studio.
Mareel was also shortlisted for the Andrew Doolan Prize for the Best Building in Scotland, by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS). The winner of this Prize will be announced on Thursday this week (7 Nov).
Mr Gibbons added: “I’d like to thank the Shetland Arts’ team who worked tirelessly to get Mareel up and running. It’s a testament to their effort, commitment, and dedication that we’ve been nominated for Venue of the Year in our first year of operations, together with these fine musicians. We’d also like to thank everyone who nominated Mareel, and ask that you please continue to Shetland music with your votes.”
Public voting is now open for the Scots Trad Music Awards at www.scotstradmusicawards.com
Other nominations included local musicians Aly Bain, Jenna Reid Sandilands, and Margaret Scollay. This year also saw the late Willie Hunter take his place in alongside Peerie Willie Johnson in the Scots Trad Music Hall of Fame.
