Four places up for grabs for young Shetland musicians at Ethno camp in Sweden

The organisers of the annual Ethno World Music Camp in Sweden have offered free places to four young musicians from Shetland.

The 10-day event comprises workshops, seminars, concerts and social events, culminating in a showcase performance at the famous outdoor folk culture museum Skansen in Stockholm.

Activities are overseen by an experienced group of tutors including Shetland’s own Kevin Henderson of Fiddlers’ Bid fame.

This year participants will come from far as afield as Mozambique, Tanzania, India, Jordan, Turkey, Palestine and Australia, allowing young musicians from around the world to get together and share their musical cultures. The event runs from 1st to 10th July and is open to musicians aged 17 to 25.

Shetland Arts music development officer Bryan Peterson said: “We’re very pleased to be able to offer young musicians from Shetland the chance to take part in this exciting multi-cultural experience. The Shetlanders who took part last year had a great time and came back full of enthusiasm and new skills, as well as having made friends with fellow musicians from around the world.”

Participants must be proficient musicians – the event is not suitable for beginners. Successful applicants will be chosen in conjunction with Shetland Arts and the Ethno Camp organisers.

While participation will be free, participants are expected to contribute to travel costs and must have a full valid passport. Financial assistance towards travel costs is available through the Shetland Arts Fund.

Anyone interested in attending can contact Shetland Arts on (01595) 743843 or email bryan.peterson@shetlandarts.org

For more information visit the Ethno Camp website at www.ethno.se (click the Union Flag button at the bottom left of the page for an English translation).