Sisters Jeanna and Emma Johnston ( 24 and 21 years of age respectively) began playing traditional Shetland fiddle music 14 years ago and have been enjoying it ever since.
Both gained the prestigious title of “Shetland’s Young Fiddler of the Year” during their early fiddle careers while being taught by the late Dr. Tom Anderson, a leading exponent of the Shetland Tradition. Since then, the girls themselves have been passing on their unique tradition through school, night classes and summer schools.
They are founder members of the traditional group “Shetland’s Young Heritage”, with Emma playing piano and fiddle (not at the same time) and Jeanna being the current leader. With this group, the pair have toured extensively throughout mainland Britain and further afield to USA, Turkey and Indonesia, with a tour to New Zealand planned for 1997.
Emma has also toured and recorded with the Shetland band “Rock, Salt and Nails”, who are now making a big name for themselves throughout the UK. All this is done in their spare time, and by day (and night, quite often) Emma is a nurse and Jeanna a music teacher.
The girls are now once again resident in Shetland after several years of study in Glasgow and Aberdeen and are once more enjoying a tune together. “Shetland Dialect” is the first recording the girls have made together. Next time they hope to include the bairn of the family, nineteen year old Magnus, who is also a former Young Fiddler of the Year.
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