Fiddle player Alastair Savage was born and raised in Ardrossan, on the Ayrshire coast. His early inspiration came at his Father’s knee, where the sound of the accordion introduced Alastair to the traditional music of his homeland.

He studied fiddle and guitar as a child, playing both traditional and classical music and attended the Music School of Douglas Academy from his early teens. He was winner of the Land O’ Burns Scots fiddle competition in his youth and went on to study classical violin at the Royal Scottish Academy Of Music And Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire) and at the Royal Academy Of Music in London.

He has been a member of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra since 1997 with whom he has toured Japan, China, USA, South America and throughout Europe. He has also appeared as a traditional fiddle soloist with broadcasts on BBC Radio 3’s Late Junction, Radio Scotland and on national radio in the USA.

Alastair has released six solo albums including a critically acclaimed unaccompanied recording entitled ‘Alone With History’ made at Crathie Kirk in Royal Deeside. His most recent album ‘Tunes From The River’ features live and studio recordings from the past decade alongside many of Scotland’s leading performers including legendary flautist Eddie McGuire and piper Rab Wallace from the Whistlebinkies band. Also appearing on that album as well as previous projects are his long time collaborators Euan Drysdale on guitar/piano and Iain Crawford on double bass. The back catalogue of album recordings include a mixture of music from great fiddle composers of centuries past including Niel Gow, William Marshall and James Scott Skinner as well as many of Alastair’s own compositions.

Recently he has performed with a variety of accompanying musicians including a diverse series of concerts annually at the Edinburgh Fringe highlighting these contrasting ensembles. As a composer his music has been used by BBC Alba for documentary purposes and in 2021 he was shortlisted for a New Music Scotland award for innovation in new traditional music. As a session musician he has worked with many top artists crossing different musical genres including Belle and Sebastian, Karen Matheson, Justin Currie and Ricky Ross. Other folk music projects include working with the Grit Orchestra and the legendary Scottish band ‘The Whistlebinkies.’

‘spectacular in simplicity, scope and delivery’ - Tim Carroll, Folkwords

‘There is a breathtaking effortlessness to Savage’s musical art’ - Su O’Brien, Bright Young Folk

‘Alastair Savage is a master of the instrument, both in theory and practice’ - Ellie Willis, Edinburgh Three Weeks

‘panache, grace and affection’ - Jim Gilchrist, The Scotsman