Six gifted musicians are set to dazzle the audience at the final of BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2023. Ranging from 16 to 26 years old, each performer will bring their unique interpretation of jazz to the competition stage on Sunday 26 November in Glasgow, vying for the coveted title.
Launched in June, the BBC Radio Scotland Young Jazz Musician of the Year has been developed in partnership with the Glasgow Jazz Festival. It is part of a series of music competitions organised by BBC Radio Scotland, aimed at discovering and nurturing young emerging musical talent in Scotland, providing them with a platform to showcase their abilities.
Broadcaster and musician Seonaid Aitken will be the host for the thrilling final at BBC Scotland’s Pacific Quay headquarters. The evening will feature a special performance by Scotland’s Ewan Hastie, the 2022 winner of the UK-wide BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year. The event will be broadcast between 5pm and 8pm on BBC Radio Scotland.
Speaking about today’s announcement Seonaid says: “I’m excited to be hosting the BBC Radio Scotland Young Jazz Musician competition at the end of the month. We know there is a hotbed of jazz talent in Scotland and our final will, I’m sure, deliver performances that our audiences will love.”
Gareth Hydes, commissioning editor at BBC Scotland added: “It’s exciting to have our final six young Jazz musicians confirmed and we’re looking forward to their performances which I have no doubt will delight our audiences. Supporting Scotland’s musical talent is hugely important to us which is why BBC Radio Scotland has committed to a range of music competitions which span musical genres. It underlines our ongoing commitment to nurturing and celebrating the country’s vibrant arts and culture sector whilst giving our audiences the chance to discover and enjoy the talent of today and the future.”
The victor will be bestowed with the title of BBC Radio Scotland Young Jazz Musician 2023, and will also receive a recording session at BBC Scotland, along with their own performance slot at the Glasgow Jazz Festival in 2024.
Details about each finalist can be found here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2023/bbc-radio-scotland-young-jazz-musicians-finalists#:~:text=Six%20talented%20musicians,the%20music%20industry.
The Young Jazz competition complements BBC Radio Scotland’s long-standing and successful Young Traditional Musician of the Year, BBC Introducing Scottish Act of the Year, and the soon-to-be-announced Young Classical Musician of the Year. These competitions span the calendar year, providing a launchpad for talent into the music industry.
