fR312 PAGES 20-21 1/5/09 13:55 Page 1
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Jeana Leslie &
Siobhan Miller
The YFA winners talk to Sophie Parkes.
T
he Young Folk Award ceremony is a Jeana complains, and peals of Siobhan
nail-biting experience, even if you Miller’s laughter echo down the phone.
are a mere spectator with no
So Jeana and Siobhan decided to sub-
invested interest in any of the
mit some of the material they had been
J
eana is right – judging by the
amount of gigs and festivals they
have this year, combined with the
fact they are in the last year of their
performers. So this year, when the
working on with their singing teacher at
degree – the duo is a hard-working one,
previous year’s winners bounded on
the Royal Scottish Academy Of Music &
indeed. And it seems to have always
stage whilst the judging panel came to
their decision, it was a welcome respite
Drama where they met. The duo truly did-
been the case.
from the suspense of the event.
n’t believe they would hear anything back,
Jeana Leslie grew up in Orkney with a
let alone receive an invitation to the semi-
singing Canadian mother and a father
And yet, a year ago, Jeana Leslie and
final weekend.
who decided to take up the pipes when
Siobhan Miller were in the same position, Jeana’s brother did. Orkney’s rich musical
though the uninitiated would find it diffi-
It was not long after Jeana and Siob-
culture also nurtured the young musician.
cult to tell – their performance is slick and
han won the competition that they were
charismatic, Jeana tripping delicately
approached by Greentrax, the well
“In Orkney, anyone who wants lessons
about the stage as she goes from one
respected Scottish music label. “Well, we
in strings, woodwind or brass can have them
for free, once a week. In fact, just after I left
instrument to the next, Siobhan at ease at
both knew Ian Green [from Greentrax]
to go to Glasgow, there was talk of one-to-
the centre of the stage.
through Siobhan’s dad,” Jeana reasons,
one lessons being made mandatory, but I’m
“Siobhan first entered the Young Folk
“but the Award was certainly the start.”
not sure if that did actually happen.”
Award when she was 13,” Jeana explains, With the duo releasing their debut
“I was surrounded by music, growing
hinting that she was keen to try again. album, In A Bleeze, in August of last year,
up. There are pub sessions and festivals,
“When she came back from four months of the Young Folk Award might seem to
Burns dances and amazing musicians like
study in Ireland, she was bored and asked if some as a passport to a professional music
Ivan and Kris Drever. It’s a real rich her-
we’d get together and enter it.” career. “No, no, not at all,” Jeana clarifies.
itage,” she enthuses.
It’s a tale they’ve told over and over
“It’s not always the case that the winners
Later, Jeana had her heart set on
again; the words come with ease. And the go on and do other things, we were very
studying traditional music at university,
duo’s disbelief at their situation is all too lucky. But you’ve also got to work very
and applied to the Royal Scottish Academy
apparent. “Oh, she’s laughing at me!” hard, which we have.”
Of Music & Drama. “It was actually the only
course I applied for, and I got my dad to
take me down there for my audition. After
the audition, I was so upset as I thought I’d
never get in – you had to be 18 at the
beginning of the course, and I was six
months too young. I thought I’d be stuck in
Orkney for another year, doing nothing. I
just said to my dad ‘Take me to the car!’”
N
ot only did Jeana gain entry to
the course, she was also
awarded the Jimmy Shand
Scholarship, given to a promising
student joining the BA Scottish Music
course with a first study in fiddle or
accordeon. “The course isn’t just playing,
either,” Jeana explains, “it’s 75% academic
and 25% playing with Scottish history,
language. It’s such a good all-round
course.”
But as Megan and Joe Henwood were
crowned Young Folk Award winners this
year, might their reception be a little dif-
ferent considering they are not traditional
musicians, like Jeana and Siobhan?
“Well, what’s traditional anyway? Look
at Lau, they’re very experimental. And the
Battlefield Band are totally different now
than they were 30 years ago. We take tradi-
Photo: Judith Burrows
tional songs and try things this way and
that way, putting our own mark on it. In
that case, we’re not traditional either.
Megan’s got such a gorgeous voice and is a
great songwriter, and the saxophone adds
something completely different. They’re
going to have such a great year.”
myspace.com/jeanalesliesiobhanmiller F
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