Shetland Fiddle Week 2026 Concert - SFW Students, Laldy, Gemma Donald + Dance with Filskit

Ticket price include supper of tea, coffee & home bakes between the concert and dance. 

Join us for our finale concert and dance, celebrating the vibrant fiddle music talent of Shetland, part of Shetland Fiddle Week 2026. Shetland Fiddle Week is an annual event taking place the first week of August each year providing tuition and celebration of Shetland's unique and historic fiddle tradition. For more information visit: www.shetlandfiddleweek.com.

Our finale concert at Gulberwick Hall will feature Shetland Fiddle Week students - performing tunes they've learned across the week with Jenna Reid and Robbie Leask. Also performing are recently formed young band Laldy, made up of fiddlers Ami Grains (2025 Shetland Young Fiddler of the Year), Sinéad Jamieson, and Maisy Nicolson with Stella Manson on piano who give an energetic take on locals tunes and tradition. 

Also performing is award winning Shetland fiddler Gemma Donald.Hailing from Whiteness, Gemma grew up in a musical family and developed her love of traditional music under the guidance of Trevor Hunter and her aunt, Judi Nicolson. After winning Shetland’s Young Fiddler of the Year at the age of 13, Gemma went on to enjoy success on the Scottish competition circuit, including winning the prestigious Glenfiddich Fiddle Championship in 2006. She was also a finalist in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition in 2015. Most recently, Gemma won the Dan R. MacDonald Memorial Scottish Fiddle Championship in South Carolina, USA, in 2025. As well as being an award-winning composer, Gemma has a deep love of Western swing music and formed Gemma Donald and Shetland Swing, an eight-piece ensemble blending the sounds of Western swing with Shetland’s rich fiddle tradition. She also performs alongside her husband, Alan Small, with the Lomond Ceilidh Band, bringing their music to audiences at home and abroad. Whether performing in concert, for dancing or at festivals, Gemma is passionate about celebrating Shetland’s musical heritage while continuing to explore new musical ideas and collaborations.

The evening will close with a traditional dance led by young local band, Filskit - Kerem Tekcan (accordion), Jayden Moore (fiddle), Liam Slater (guitar) and Euan Slater (drums). All under the age of 21, they have impressed the music scene in their first few years with their skill and energy, performing widely within Shetland as well as visits to Denmark and Scotland.