“Burnsong… It's all about the song…”
Burnsong is delighted to announce the following winners of our International Song Contest.
The 10 finalists of The Burnsong International Song Contest will play a showcase concert in the Scottish Parliament on St Andrew’s Day November 30th as part of the finale celebrations for Scotland’s Year of Homecoming.
The finalists will perform their winning songs to an audience of MSP’s and the Scottish public as part of a full day of events at the Scottish Parliament marking St Andrew’s Day. The concert will be hosted by the Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson MSP and presented by Burnsong patron Midge Ure OBE.
The 10 Winners are:
Fiona J. Mackenzie
The first Gaelic speaking winner of Burnsong,Fiona J Mackenzie is a native of Morayshire, lives in Dingwall and is well known as a Scottish Gaelic singer and teacher. In 2004 Fiona was nominated and won the BBC Scotland Traditional Music Personality of the year. Well known for pushing the boundaries of Gaelic song, she is unafraid of experimenting with styles and genres as well as being passionate about her desire to make the learning of Gaelic language & song as accessible to as many people as possible.
www.fionamackenzie.org
Andy Tucker
Andy Tucker is an Edinburgh-born singer/songwriter. Formerly of The Dead Beat Club Andy is now singing with The Scattered Family - a broad musical collective of musicians from all over Scotland. Over the last few years, Andy has shared a bill with the likes of The Beautiful South, Seasick Steve, Angus & Julia Stone, Ian McNabb, Kim Edgar, Karine Polwart and Martin Stephenson playing everywhere from Portmahomack to New York’s east village.
http://www.myspace.com/thescatteredfamily
Yvonne Lyon
Singer-songwriter Yvonne Lyon is among the best and brightest emerging talent currently from Scotland. She has recently received national radio support and is winning over many new fans with her strong, creative melodies, demonstrating a voice that can be both fragile and intense. Yvonne has consistently drawn and stirred crowds across the UK with her emotive performances.
http://www.myspace.com/yvonnelyonmusic
Roberto Cassani
Scots-Italian Roberto Cassani sings his stories with lots of humor and a curious Scottish-Italian accent. Roberto is a in parts bit poet, a bit troubadour, a bit of circus clown. A superb songwriter and a master entertainer, Roberto Cassani is cheering up audiences nationally and internationally, as well as getting radio play and featuring in some of the most prestigious festivals around.
http://www.myspace.com/robertocassanimusic
Alex Hodgson
A previous Burnsong winner in 2005, Alex has gone on to perform as far afield as South Africa and Malaysia. He also regularly performs at cultural events around Scotland. Alex Hodgson lives in Prestonpans with his wife Isobelle and two children. By day, Alex is a technician at Preston Lodge High School.
http://www.myspace.com/songwriteralexhodgson
Nuala Kennedy and Ziggy Campbell
Nuala and Ziggy met in the Burnsong Songhouse in Nov 2007. They immediately struck up an affinity and wrote several tunes together during their tenure. This year they have played incendiary sets at the Edinburgh Art Festival and at the Big Tent Festival in Fife. Nuala also accompanied Ziggy in a sell out performance playing alongside his latest BAFTA nominated sound installation, Cybraphon. Both have their own busy gigging schedule with their own acts but continue to write and play together.
http://www.myspace.com/nualakennedy http://www.myspace.com/ziggycampbell
Lisa Rigby
Lisa was born in England in 1974 and moved to Scotland when she was 8 years old. With family roots that are an Afro-Caribbean-Celtic, she describes herself as “ A Scot of the world!”
Lisa is currently part of Edinburgh band Townhouse, that was picked as a finalist of Radio Forth's Forth One to Watch competition this year.
Lisa was also a previous Burnsong finalist in 2007.
http://www.myspace.com/lisa_rigby
Marie Claire Lee
Glasgow based songwriter Marie Claire Lee has supported among others the likes of Mercury prizewinner Julie Feeney, world-renowned Ojos de Brujo and, more recently, rising stars Mr Kil. Marie Claire currently plays with The Lotus Project and Engine7. Recent gigs include The Edinburgh Fringe Festival Mannifest Festival (Isle of Man) and a live session on BBC Scotland Radio Vic Galloway Late Live show.
http://www.myspace.com/marieclairelee
Anthony Da Costa
Anthony is one of the first international winners of the Burnsong Song Contest.
He is an 18 - year old singer/songwriter from Pleasantville, NY who currently resides in New York City and is attending Columbia University. Anthony has been writing and touring since the age of 13 and has played at major folk festivals and music venues all over the United States of America.
http://www.anthonydacosta.com/
Emily Elbert
Emily Elbert joins Anthony as another of the first winners of the Burnsong International Song Contest. Raised in Texas on a musical diet of Antonio Carlos Jobim, James Taylor and oldies radio, 20 -year old Emily has a passionate, self-taught approach to her song writing. Emily has toured extensively throughout the United states, opening for artists ranging from G. Love & Special Sauce to Richie Havens. She is currently a student of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.
http://www.myspace.com/emilyelbert
The songwriters will spend the week leading up to the St Andrew’s Day at a rural farmhouse in the Scottish countryside that Burns knew and loved.
The songwriters will be guided and supported by mentor Joe Bennett (UK Songwriting Festival/Bath Spa University) and producer Chris Blanden (Real World Studios) through a succession of tasks and collaborations designed to develop, enhance and extend their songwriting skills.
The 10 winners were selected from hundreds of entries from as far afield as Australia, Canada and South Korea. The judges selected the songs via an anonymous selection process held in Glasgow in early September.
Marie Christie, Project Director Homecoming Scotland said, “Burnsong aims to provide a legacy of new work and talent that Robert Burns himself would be proud of. We are delighted that Burnsong will feature as a key event within the Homecoming Scotland Finale celebrations on St Andrew’s Day.”
For more information- Contact: Gordon Logan 07799731034 or
Gordon@burnsong.org
For ticket details and more information about Burnsong go to
www.burnsong.org or contact
info@burnsong
Notes to Editors:
About Burnsong
• Burnsong is funded and supported by Homecoming Scotland and The Scottish Arts Council.
• Burnsong was established in 2005 with the aim of developing and nurturing songwriting in Scotland. It has run bi-annually in the build up to the 2009 Homecoming.
About Homecoming Scotland 2009
• Burnsong is part of the Homecoming Scotland Finale Celebrations: Scotland’s Biggest Ever St Andrew’s Do. Running from 26th - 30th November, with more than 40 events and opportunities to visit some of Scotland’s major attractions for free across Scotland, a full programme of activity is available at
www.homecomingscotland2009.com
• St Andrew’s Day, 30 November, is Scotland’s national day. It is a time for everyone at home and friends across the globe to celebrate Scotland and its people - our history and culture but also our diverse and vibrant contemporary society. Full information on St Andrew’s Day, including it’s history, local and international events, Visit for Free visitor attractions across Scotland, and ideas for hosting your own event, can be found on
www.scotland.org
• The Homecoming Scotland Finale Celebrations herald the start of the winter festival season in Scotland, inviting visitors to extend their stay beyond the St Andrew’s weekend to sample the sights and sounds in a range of towns and cities.
• Homecoming Scotland 2009 is an inspirational programme of events running from Burns Night to St Andrew’s Day which motivates people with Scottish ancestry, as well as those who simply love Scotland, to “Come Home” in 2009.
• Homecoming Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government and is managed by EventScotland the national events agency in partnership with VisitScotland, the country’s national tourism agency. Homecoming is part financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund.