Fiddler Macdonald appointed to leadership role at Shetland Arts
FIDDLER and composer Professor Catriona Macdonald has been named as Shetland Arts’ new director of creativity and impact.
Macdonald will oversee the delivery of all artistic and creative activity, including the learning and outreach programmes, at the trust and take up the new role in December.
Shetland Arts said she will also play a “pivotal role” in driving its ambition to deliver social impact through the arts.
Raised in Lerwick, Macdonald began her musical journey under the guidance of Dr Tom Anderson as part of Shetland’s Young Heritage, before going on to become a founding member of Scotland’s major fiddle ensemble Blazin’ Fiddles and creator of the US Grammy-nominated international super-group String Sisters.
Alongside her performance career Macdonald is a dedicated educator and researcher, and is currently professor of practice and degree programme director for the BA in Folk and Traditional Music course at Newcastle University.
She said she was “so excited to come back home to Shetland”, describing it as “the place that formed my creative self and continues to deeply inspire me as a musician, composer and academic”.
“I’m looking forward to meeting the various artistic communities, and their audiences, in order to listen and learn about the aspirations they have for their art forms in Shetland today,” Macdonald said.
“That will be my starting point, and I hope to bring to Shetland Arts the national and international networks and experiences I have gained while biding away from Shetland, in order to have exciting, fruitful and creative conversations that will feed into future development of Shetland Arts programming and impact in the islands and beyond in the coming years.”
Shetland Arts chief executive Graeme Howell said they were “absolutely thrilled” to welcome Macdonald back to Shetland and into this leadership role.
“Her deep roots in our islands, combined with her outstanding international reputation and commitment to education, creativity, and cultural heritage, make her the perfect person to guide the next chapter of Shetland Arts,” Howell said.
“We look forward to the vision, energy and inspiration she will bring as we continue to grow the impact of the arts across our community and beyond.”
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