Music Festivals For Everyone

Shetland offers many kinds of musical experience, whether you want to participate or just listen. All genres have a following, from baroque to hip-hop and bluegrass to jazz. Music is part of life all year round but features very strongly in several festivals. A great many people play music, thanks in large part to the availability of musical tuition in Shetland schools.

Traditional music is strongly fiddle-based, often with the addition of piano, accordion or guitar. The particular style of Shetland fiddle playing has many admirers and Shetland performers such as Aly Bain and Fiddlers’ Bid regularly tour world-wide.

When it comes to venues, Shetland is particularly well supplied. Mareel’s 600-capacity concert hall incorporates the latest in sound systems. Full, state-of-the-art audio and video recording facilities are available, with dedicated studios staffed by experienced personnel. Connection to fibre-optic broadband means that live streaming in high definition sound and vision is available and has been successfully used on many occasions.

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