A University of Aberdeen student is in the running to be named Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year.
Nadya Albertsson, who is in the second year of a Bachelor of Music degree, will compete in the semi-finals of the competition when it comes to Aberdeen’s Blue Lamp on Sunday.
The winners will then go through to a final to be held as part of the Glasgow International Jazz Festival in June. Competing for the title stands entrants in good stead to establish a career in professional jazz.
Singer Nadya performs a wide repertoire but says jazz was her first love.
“I’ve always listened to and loved jazz but it wasn’t until I came to University that I developed a real passion for performing it.
“I wasn’t going to enter the competition and had to be persuaded to do it on the last minute by one of our music lecturers.
“I’m so glad she talked me into it as the semi-finals are being held here in Aberdeen so I’ll have great support from my friends, though I expect I’ll be very nervous before the performance as this is the first competition of this kind I’ve ever entered.
Nadya is originally from Sweden but since coming to the University has thrown herself into the musical opportunities on campus and around the city.
“I sing in a jazz ensemble and we can be heard in bars and restaurants around Aberdeen several times a week,” she added.
“I’ve also performed in Bizet’s Carmet with Aberdeen Opera Society and in HMS Pinafore with the University’s Gilbert and Sullivan Society and in Ellington’s Sacred Concert with the Aberdeen University Jazz Orchestra.
“There’s a huge breadth of musical talent here in Aberdeen and it has been wonderful to be part of it.”
The competition has been well timed for Nadya, who only finished her University exams on Monday.
“I’ve been so fortunate with both the timing and location of the semi-finals. I hope this will bode well for the performance on Sunday but even if I don’t make it through, this has been a wonderful opportunity to meet other young jazz musicians and to bring jazz music to new audiences in Aberdeen. I’m very grateful that I was nudged into submitting my application.”
The Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year semi-finals will take place at the Blue Lamp on the Gallowgate on Sunday May 13 at 2.30pm. For more information and tickets visit www.jazzfromscotland.com