Paul Anderson

Already something of a legend and revered virtuoso in the time honoured tradition of Scottish fiddle music, Paul Anderson began his training at school on a fiddle found under his grandparents spare bed. He can trace his teaching lineage directly to Niel Gow, The Father of Scottish Fiddle Music, through his tutor Douglas Lawrence, the most acclaimed pupil of Hector MacAndrew. Hector was taught by his grandfather who was taught by the last pupil of Gow. Pauls experience includes leadership of the acclaimed Banchory Strathspey and Reel Society and playing fiddle with Shetland folk rock band, Rock, Salt and Nails, however his main interest is performance and composition of traditional Scottish fiddle music. Having won most of the fiddle championships in Scotland, his crowning glory was winning the Glenfiddich Scottish Fiddle Championship at Blair Castle in 1993. A regular on Scottish television and radio, Paul has toured extensively and has recorded seven solo albums. Although only in his early thirtys, Paul is already something of an icon in Scotland, a fact duly recognised by two specially commissioned portraits of him, a life size one in Aberdeen Art Gallery and a study that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. In the tradition of many of Scotlands great fiddlers. Paul is also a composer of some repute, having written some 265 pieces in the traditional style, 100 of which are already published in The Cromar Collection. These stand comparison with the best works in the fiddle canon. In 2005 several of his pieces featured heavily in the movie "Red Rose", a film about the life of Robert Burns. His complete collection of compositions will be published by the Highland music trust later this year and many of Paul's compositions can be downloaded from www.scotchsnap.com . Past performances include, The Globe Theatre (London), Celtic Connections (Glasgow), the Interceltic Festival (Lorient, Brittany), Edinburgh International Festival (Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh 1996), The Fiddlers Spectacular (HM Theatre, Aberdeen), N.A.T.Os first and only Burns Supper (Brussels), Orkney Folk Festival, Shetland Folk Festival, Edinburgh International Festival 2003 (Festival Theatre), New Hampshire Highland Games (U.S.A), Perth (Scotland) concert hall, the Glen Innes Australian Celtic festival NSW 2007 and in 2003/2004 was Huntlys fiddler in residence, the first time a fiddler has held such a post anywhere in the U.K. Paul is delighted to take up his post at the Elphinstone Institute as a research fellow in the creative and performing arts as it will allow him to develop his interest in traditional Scottish music via an academic route. His research- believed to be the first of its kind in the U.K, aims to re-connect local musicians with the unique fiddle style of the North East of Scotland, and was awarded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council(AHRC) www.tarlandfiddler.info