AULD ALLIANCE FIDDLERS SOCIETY
Faculty
LAUREN MACCOLL
Originally from the Black Isle in the Scottish Highlands, Lauren MacColl is a violinist and composer renowned for the depth and sensitivity of her playing. Trained in Glasgow, she is now regarded as one of the leading figures on the contemporary Scottish folk scene.
Winner of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award and the Scots Trad Music Award for Instrumentalist of the Year, Lauren has released several critically acclaimed albums, including Landskein and Haar, which explore the landscapes and legends of northern Scotland.
She is also a founding member of the fiddle quartet RANT and toured for over a decade with the trio Salt House. In collaboration with Rachel Newton, she created the project Heal & Harrow, which was awarded Composer of the Year at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards.
Alongside her performing career, Lauren has been teaching fiddle for many years, notably at the RCS Junior Conservatoire, and runs the Black Isle Fiddle Weekend, a festival dedicated to sharing and celebrating traditional fiddle music in a warm, community setting.
Groups
Rant, Salt House, Duo avec Calum Stewart ...
Jenna MOYNIHAN
Originally from Lakewood, New York, Jenna Moynihan is a violinist celebrated for her poetic and inventive approach to traditional Scottish music. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, she received both the Fletcher Bright Award and the American Roots Music Award in recognition of her outstanding musicianship and dedication to folk music.
Her solo album Woven weaves together threads of Scottish tradition with a personal and sensitive touch, revealing a deep mastery of nuance and rhythm. On stage, Jenna performs in duo with harpist Màiri Chaimbeul, and collaborates with ensembles such as the Seamus Egan Project, the Hanneke Cassel Band, and artists including The Milk Carton Kids, Laura Cortese, and Old Blind Dogs.
Alongside her performing career, she teaches at several fiddle camps and serves as an Assistant Professor in the Strings Department at Berklee College of Music. Balancing deep traditional roots with creative freedom, Jenna Moynihan represents a new generation of musicians redefining folk music with authenticity and grace.
Groups
Jenna Moynihan, Hanneke Cassel Band, Seamus Egan Project ...
Rona WILKIE
Originally from Oban in the Scottish Highlands, Rona Wilkie is a fiddle player, singer and composer who weaves together Scottish tradition and contemporary creativity with elegance. Winner of the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2012, she has established herself as an inventive artist, deeply rooted in Gaelic culture while exploring new forms of musical expression.
Trained in both traditional fiddle and classical music, Rona draws inspiration from the landscapes, languages and stories of northern Scotland to create music that is at once intimate and bold. She collaborates with artists across music, theatre and film, developing interdisciplinary projects where fiddle, voice and storytelling intertwine.
Alongside her performing career, she teaches Gaelic and is pursuing doctoral research on the role of song in Scotland’s cultural memory. Balancing living tradition and creative freedom, Rona Wilkie embodies a new generation of artists breathing fresh life and modernity into the music of the Highlands.
Groups
Marit & Rona, Rona Wilkie & Morag Brown
RUARIDH MACMILLAN
Originally from Nairn in the Scottish Highlands, Rua Macmillan is a fiddle player recognised as one of the leading figures in contemporary Scottish traditional music. A graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, he first gained national attention after winning the title of BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2009.
His debut solo album Tyro was praised for the finesse of his playing and the richness of his compositions, blending energy and lyricism. Since 2014, he has been a member of the renowned group Blazin’ Fiddles, performing on major stages and festivals around the world, helping to showcase the strength and modern vitality of the Scottish fiddle tradition.
Alongside his performing career, Rua Macmillan teaches fiddle and shares his expertise through workshops and masterclasses across Scotland and internationally. His style combines technical mastery, regional identity, and creativity, making him one of the most respected ambassadors of Scottish fiddle music today.
Groups
Blazin' Fiddle
RUFUS MERLIN-HUGGAN
Originally from Lochaber in the Scottish Highlands and now based in Glasgow, Rufus Merlin-Huggan is a cellist, composer and performer with a distinctive artistic path. Classically trained under Audrey Scott, he soon broke away from that discipline to explore new horizons, bringing bass lines and rhythmic textures into Scottish traditional music groups.
Holding a First Class Honours Degree in Traditional Music from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Rufus has performed and recorded internationally, moving fluidly between classical, folk, blues and Scottish idioms. His inventive, percussive playing combines technical virtuosity with expressive freedom, offering a unique approach to the cello within the contemporary folk landscape.
As a member of the Routes Quartet, he contributes to reimagining the repertoire for strings, blending Scottish tradition with the sensitivity of modern chamber music. Inquisitive and innovative, Rufus Merlin-Huggan represents a new generation of musicians for whom tradition is a springboard for creativity.
Groups
The Route Quartet
EWAN ROBERTSON
Originally from the Scottish Highlands, Ewan Robertson is a guitarist, singer and percussionist best known for his role in Breabach, one of the leading bands on the contemporary Scottish folk scene.
A versatile musician, he began with fiddle and bagpipes before turning to guitar and singing, which he refined at Sgoil Chiùil na Gàidhealtachd (Plockton). Winner of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year, he quickly established himself as one of the defining voices of modern Scottish folk.
Ewan is distinguished by the warmth of his voice, the precision of his guitar playing, and his ability to blend tradition with modern influences. Alongside his work with Breabach, he also pursues personal projects as a songwriter and arranger, including his solo album Some Kind of Certainty.
On stage and in the studio, he embodies a generation of artists who continue to shape Scottish traditional music with authenticity, creativity and emotion.
The classes will be taught in DADGAD tuning.
Groups
Breabach
ELEANOR DUNSDON
Originally from the south of England, Eleanor Dunsdon now lives in Glasgow, where she works passionately as a harpist and singer. She holds an MMus in Traditional Music from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (2023).
Blending classical, traditional and jazz influences, Eleanor explores the versatility of the clarsach (Scottish harp) through innovative and collaborative projects. She is a member of the alternative folk group Ranagri, with whom she has toured across the UK and Europe, and performs in a duo with percussionist Gregor Black, combining the sounds of the Irish harp, bodhrán and contemporary percussion.
Eleanor has performed at major events including the World Harp Congress, the Edinburgh International Festival, and with ensembles such as the Silkroad Ensemble and the Grit Orchestra. She has also worked on interdisciplinary projects, including a concert with Conservatoire students combining harp, violin and string ensemble.
As a composer and arranger, Eleanor creates new works for the harp, continually expanding its sonic possibilities. She is also dedicated to teaching and to exploring new directions for the instrument, pushing its traditional boundaries into contemporary expression.
Groups
Duet with Gregor Black