Emily Smith will be performing for musiclearninglive!2011 delegates with Jamie McClennan on Thursday 3 March at 7.45pm

‘Scots Singer of the Year 2008/9’ Emily Smith has firmly established herself as a leading light of the Scottish folk scene.

Since winning the 2002 ‘BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award’, she has released four critically acclaimed albums, toured extensively with her band on the international folk circuit and is recognised not only as one of Scotland’s finest interpreters of traditional song but also as a talented songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

Emily spent six years living in Glasgow during which time she gained an Honours degree in Scottish Music from The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

Now living back in her home area of Dumfries & Galloway in South West Scotland, Smith has found her niche drawing on the rich local history and ever-changing landscape as the source and inspiration for her music. She has an affection (and growing reputation!) for collecting dusty old poetry and song books in search of new material. The results are re-worked ballads which seamlessly interweave with Smith’s own descriptive songs, often confusing the listener as to which material is old and which is new.

Her songwriting has not gone without recognition. She became the first ever winner from Scotland in the USA Songwriting Competition in 2005 after winning the folk section with her song Edward of Morton. Another of her songs, Always a Smile (about the life of her Polish grandmother) was shortlisted in the final ten.

Alongside her solo career, Smith has written, recorded and toured with artists from the folk scene and beyond including Eddi Reader, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Karine Polwart, John McCusker, David Scott and Phil Cunningham. She has recorded live sessions for BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris, Aled Jones and Mike Harding alongside receiving regular play on BBC Radio Scotland. Recent television work includes performing on BBC 1 Scotland’s Hogmanay show. She also appeared on the most recent series of Transatlantic Sessions (Series 4).

Frequently performing in the same line up as her musical heroes, Smith’s star is definitely in the ascendant.

Photo credit: Jimi Rae Photography

Jamie McClennan

New Zealand-born musician Jamie McClennan has many strings to his bow – performer, composer, producer, graphic designer and coffee fanatic (flat whites, apparently).

He has over ten years experience as a touring musician, primarily with award-winning Scottish singer Emily Smith. 2009 saw the release of his long-awaited first solo recording In Transit, a collection of tunes written over his years spent travelling and touring the world. Jamie became well known on the Glasgow music scene playing sessions and ceilidhs and as a founder member of Quarter Mile with whom he won a Danny Award at Celtic Connections festival in 2002.

In the same year, Jamie met Emily Smith who had recently won the ‘BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award’ and was putting a band together. Jamie joined on fiddle and whistle but through the years has become Emily's lead guitarist and an integral part of her sound. With Emily, he has toured worldwide and played on all three of her albums as well as co-producing her latest, Too Long Away.

Performing on stage with the likes of The Waifs, Beth Neilson Chapman, Phil Cunningham, Brian Finnegan and John McCusker, Jamie draws influences not only from his ancestral roots of traditional Scottish and Irish fiddle music but also from a love of bluegrass and blues. His versatility and passion for music comes across in his infectious energy on stage and it’s clear that every part of him is affected by his performance.

Photo credit: Archie MacFarlane Photography