Lever harp player Rachel Groves has been named BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2026 following a live final at Glasgow’s City Halls.
The event was broadcast live on BBC Radio Scotland and BBC ALBA on Sunday 1 February and brought together six outstanding young musicians from across Scotland.
Rachel, who grew up learning the lever harp in Aberdeenshire, impressed judges with a performance that drew on jazz, classical and global folk influences to explore the rhythmic and textural possibilities of the instrument.
She is a graduate of Berklee College of Music in Valencia and the University of Edinburgh, and alongside performing and composing she leads the Scolty Harp Ensemble in the North East and teaches lever harp.
Rachel said:
“It’s amazing to win and I am in shock!
“To have played in this space alongside such talented performers is incredible.
“I’d like to thank my first harp teacher, Alison Bell who joined me here this evening.”
The final took place at City Halls, with the judges tasked with choosing a winner from a particularly strong field.
Director of BBC Scotland Hayley Valentine said:
“What a wonderful night celebrating Scotland’s young musical talent.
“Each and every performance was remarkable and shines a light on just how strong and diverse Scotland’s traditional music scene is.
“Our audiences, whether listening on BBC Radio Scotland, watching on BBC ALBA, or sitting here at City Halls, could not fail to be uplifted by their talent.
“The judges had a very hard task to choose a winner.
“Huge congratulations to Rachel on lifting the title and congratulations to all the performers for entertaining us so brilliantly tonight.”
First established in 2001, the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition supports emerging talent by providing performance opportunities, mentoring and professional development.
This year’s finalists included Iona Fyfe on Scots song, Craig Harrison on fiddle, Calum McGregor on piano and piano accordion, Gregor Niven on accordion, and Orkney fiddler Ewen Rorie.
As well as lifting the prestigious title, Rachel also won a recording session with BBC Radio Scotland, a performance at the Scots Trad Music Awards, a concert slot at HebCelt 2026, and a year’s membership of the Musicians’ Union.
