Thursday 8 October 2026
 8.8°C   SSE Moderate Breeze
News /

Virtual conductor Eamonn is after your votes

Shetland composer Eamonn Watt, under the name Virtual Conductor, is competing for a People's Voice award.

A SHETLAND composer is looking for votes after winning his way to the final of a global songwriting competition.

Eamonn Watt, who goes by the name Virtual Conductor, is up for the publicly voted People’s Voice award in the International Songwriting Competition.

His track The Tale of Buckaroo Bill is nominated among a host of global artists for the prize, with voting open until 15 April.

The tune is also in with a chance of winning the competition’s grand prize, as well as the instrumental award.

The song features on the 23 year old’s 2015 album Haar and it was also a finalist in last year’s UK Songwriting Competition.

“The Tale of Buckaroo Bill is inspired by a mix of old time American fiddle and Shetland fiddle reels,” Watt said.

“Aaron Copland’s Hoedown from the ballet Rodeo plays a key inspiration for this composition. It’s one of my favourite compositions that I’ve ever created thus far.”

The Sandwick composer is a fourth year applied music student, with the course based in Mareel in Lerwick.

He admits it would be “absolutely amazing” to win the publicly voted prize – and it seems Shetland is getting behind him.

“A lot of support is coming from family, friends, employees, classmates and even the big education firms in Scotland,” Watt said.

“I would like to thank everyone for their support so far.”

To vote for Eamonn Watt’s The Tale of Buckaroo Bill in the People’s Voice category, visit here.

Keep Shetland’s news open to everyone

Your membership helps us report the stories that matter to Shetland — and keep them free for everyone to read.

Become a member
 
Categories
Advertisement 

Sign up for our Newsletters

Stay in the loop with newsletters tailored to your interests. Whether you're looking for daily updates, weekly highlights, or updates on jobs or property, you can choose exactly what you want to receive.

Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Interested in Notifications?

You can install the Shetland News app on your device, simply tap and then 'Add to Home Screen'.

Loading the app will allow you to accept notifications.

Help keep Shetland’s news open to everyone

Good local journalism takes time, care and people on the ground. Membership helps us keep reporting the stories that matter to Shetland — and keep them free for everyone to read. Members get a weekly newsletter created especially for them, local ads only, and can bookmark stories and join the conversation in the comments.

Keep Shetland’s news open to everyone

Your membership helps us report the stories that matter to Shetland — and keep them free for everyone to read.

Become a member