On this page you can find out about some of our music initiatives and activities.
Shetland Arts have long championed music development in Shetland: promoting our music within and outwith the islands; nurturing a sustainable music infrastructure; supporting lifelong educational activities; staging entertaining concerts and gigs.
Live Music
We are active promoters of a wide range of musical genres, regularly taking a variety of acts to the islands
Festivals
We run two annual music festivals, Fiddle Frenzy, a week long summer school and cultural event, and the Peerie Willie Guitar Festival, a celebration of guitar in memory of the late Peerie Willie Johnson.
Education
Shetland Arts works in partnership with local agencies to deliver music educational activities such as workshops with visiting musicians, a range of evening classes and HE/FE courses in conjunction with Shetland College UHI.
Youth Music Events
We support regular live music events for young people, principally through our support for the Shetland Young Promoters Group, an initiative to empower young people to stage their own music events. We also run regular ‘Family Music Sessions’ in local halls and venues.
Equipment
We have an extensive range of music equipment for hire including a full size PA system that can be scaled to suit your requirements, a range of backline amplifiers and recording equipment. Contact us for details.
Funding
Shetland Arts co-administers the Shetland Arts Fund. This fund supports a range of local music events and festivals, and various music development projects and educational activities. We also help local musicians to source external funding.
Online
Shetland Arts operates the www.shetland-music.com website where you can find out about Shetland’s rich musical history and some notable musicians and groups, past and present. We also have an active presence on several social networking websites.
Marketing
We actively promote musical activities in Shetland through a range of channels including adverts and editorial in the local, national and international media.
Mareel
Mareel, Shetland Arts’ music, cinema and education venue is a key facility in the development of music in Shetland and compliments Shetland’s existing range of venues.
The history of Shetland Arts’ Music Development Project
Jenna Reid teaching at Fiddle Frenzy 2008
The project was initiated in 1999, following widespread public consultation on how to most effectively support a sustainable music infrastructure in the islands. A key document, “Developing Music in Shetland” by Katherine Campbell, compiled the results and recommended a number of strategies to most effectively address the situation. Many of these recommendations, particularly the support for industry, education and marketing, form the basis of music development activities to this day.
