Biography

Scottish fiddling is in Sarah’s blood. Her grandmother was taught by renowned Highland fiddler, Donald Riddel, and encouraged Sarah to continue the family tradition. When she was nine, her mother made Sarah her first fiddle out of a man-size Kleenex tissue box.

Born and brought up in Uig on the Isle of Skye, Sarah’s ambition is to preserve the style of tune developed in the 17th Century, typified by the Slow Strathspey, and the West Coast style of fiddling and to bring it to an international audience. In 2005 she performed at the opening of the Chicago Celtic Festival, where she also taught and promoted Scottish music and culture.

Sarah won the 2004 Oban Fiddlers Masters, was runner up in both the 2004 Glenfiddich Fiddle Championship and the 2005 Young Scottish Traditional Musician of the Year and won the Celtic Connections Danny Award.

She graduated from Strathclyde with a first in Applied Music. Her final solo performance at Strathclyde won her the David Stow Award for excellence in performance and ranks as one of the best in the last 14 years.

Sarah intends to continue developing her career as a soloist.

How the Award Helped