Seonaid Aitken Ensemble

Seonaid Aitken Ensemble at St Margarets Braemar

After touring the world with dancing fiddle show Barrage, performing for Disney in Japan and the U.S.A, and as a headliner on Princess, Celebrity and Crystal Cruises, Seonaid is now settled in Glasgow and is much in demand as a session recording artist, arranger and jazz musician.

Currently the Honorary President of the Glenrothes Amateur Musical Association, she also enjoys sharing her knowledge of musical theatre and performance as a judge for, and Patron of, the Frisson Foundation’s Primary School Glee Show Choir Challenge held across Scotland.

As an improvising violinist and Gypsy Jazz aficionado, Seonaid is a regular tutor at the Grappelli-Django Camp held in The Netherlands and has also led workshops for Children’s Classic Concerts, Suzuki School, Hanson Music and the High Level Hot Club, Shetland. She has been an arranging/orchestration tutor for the University of the Highlands and Islands and is currently a violin and performance class tutor at Glasgow University.

Seonaid is presenter of BBC Radio Scotland’s jazz programme ‘Jazz Nights’, having previously hosted ‘Jazz Nights at the Quay’ and has been guest presenter for BBC’s ‘The Jazz House’ and ‘Classics Unwrapped’. Interviewees include Wynton Marsalis, Maria Schneider, Jacob Collier, Lisa Simone, Chrissie Hynde, Ginger Baker, Yazz Ahmed and Tommy Smith.

Seonaid released her debut solo jazz album on Valentine’s Day 2019. ‘What Is This Thing Called Love?’ is a collection of Great American Songbook favourites, jazz standards, Scottish melodies and popular classics all cinematically orchestrated by Seonaid for the 26-piece strings/harp ensemble – the ‘Scottish Session Orchestra’ – featuring the top orchestral players in Scotland. Her special guest on the album is 2018 Young Scottish Jazz Musician guitarist Joe Williamson.