Celtic Connections announces
Danny Kyle Open Stage 2011 winners

“This fantastic free stage really is the place to spot the stars of tomorrow.”
Evening Times

Every year at Celtic Connections the cream of new musical talent perform at Danny Kyle’s Open Stage. A diverse panel of judges – from industry stalwarts to members of the general public – then have the unenviable task of picking just six winners from the eighty acts who took part.

The winners of this year’s Open Stage, which is supported by the Evening Times, will perform in the finale concert this evening (Sunday 30th January) at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, before being presented with their awards.

The level of talent on show at the fifteen concerts, which were held in the Exhibition Hall of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, was extremely high. The six winners of the Danny Kyle Open Stage 2011 are:

Iona Marshall
Based in the West End of Glasgow, singer-songwriter and guitarist Iona Marshall’s original arrangements and beautiful Celtic-tinged songs have won the attention of De-Fence records, who release her first EP this year. Having performed at Haarfest and Kelburn Garden Party, she has also been invited to sing as a guest on forthcoming releases from King Creosote and Lee Patterson.
www.myspace.com/ionamarshall

Yuptae
Glasgow-based band Yuptae formed in 2008. This 8-piece band includes drums, piano, guitar, bass, vocals, fiddle, banjo, button accordion and flute. Their music, whilst rooted in traditional music, incorporates many different genres and they cite Beoga, Altan, Flook, Planxty, Lau and Sharon Shannon as some of their many influences.
www.myspace.com/yuptaeband

Broken Strings

The multi-instrumental Orkney group – comprising fiddle, mandolin, banjo, accordion, piano, guitar and cajon – are all S3 students at Kirkwall Grammar School. Broken Strings have already achieved success in winning the Orkney Folk Festival Open Stage, and their sound is rooted in the traditional music of their homeland.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Broken-Strings/135612123168586

Tensheds
A performer since the age of 6, Tensheds (aka Matt Millership) initially trained as classical pianist. A guitarist and pianist, his sophisticated songwriting and gravelly vocals are attracting much acclaim.
www.tensheds.com

The JPTrio

The JPTrio are an inventive and fresh new Irish trio. Heavily influenced by jazz along with traditional Irish music, the group fuses both genres to create a brand new sound. The JPTrio comprises Jos Kelly (button accordion and piano), Paddy Hazleton (percussion) and Ted Kelly (banjo and tenor guitar).

www.myspace.com/thejpttrio

RURA

RURA combines the passions and influences of some of Scotland’s most exciting young musicians. Featuring two BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year finalists and an All Ireland Bodhran champion, RURA’s powerful sound comprises Highland pipes, whistles, fiddle, guitar and bodhrán to create a fierce and versatile sound.

www.myspace.com/therura

ENDS

All of the performances from the last fortnight are now on (or will soon be on) the Celtic Music Radio "listen again" site, http://www.canstream.co.uk/celticmusic/ - thanks to Sandy Semeonoff and his team of volunteers/conscripts for editing and uploading these.

And of course you can hear the entire "finalists concert" live from the Strathclyde Suite on Celtic Music Radio today from 5pm. Ken's just been on the phone - we've shifted our kit upstairs to the new venue,and it's ready to go! We've also done some work on our web streaming , bringing another server online, temporarily doubling the capacity.

http://www2.newsquest.co.uk/scotland/pdf/Slideshows/DannyKyle/index.html