MACDONALD, Catriona

Catriona Macdonald (born 1968) is a fiddler, composer, researcher, and lecturer from Shetland, located some 320 km (200 miles) north of the Scottish mainland. She is considered to be among the world's leading traditional fiddle players, and one of the top exponents of the Shetland fiddle.
Professionally, she is chair of Undergraduate Board of Studies and Degree Program Director for the BA in Folk and Traditional Music, Newcastle University, as well as a Doctoral candidate. Macdonald has worked as a tutor and course assessor for the Scottish Music Degree at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow, and has taught and lectured at universities across Norway, Ireland (including the University of Limerick), Denmark, Canada and Australia, as well as in Stirling and Highlands and Islands, Scotland.

In her albums, her creative voice can be seen through her characterful improvisations, her 'mashups' of traditional Scottish tunes and her own compositions (for example "The Tuddal Troll" and "The Lost Ponytail").