Reay fiddler Karen Steven wins ‘stiff’ competition in USA
A renowned fiddle player from Reay has been enjoying competition success across the Pond.
Karen Steven, who started playing when she attended Thurso High School and survived a life-threatening bleed on the brain before returning to music, has one more contest coming up next weekend.
Her most recent success was as the winner of the New England, USA Regional Open Fiddle competition at the New Hampshire Highland Games - age 18 and over category, last weekend.
In addition to coming first overall for Slow Air, March, Strathspey & Reel set, Karen was awarded the prize for best march.
She played Molly Reay’s Dream for her slow air, a tune she composed in memory of the daughter of a family friend from Reay.
MacLeod of Mull, Strathspey – Matty’s Appeal was Karen’s choice for her 6/8 pipe march, which was composed as a fundraiser for Matthew Taylor, who was just 30 years old when in 2011 he was involved in a motorcycle accident on the island of Bali, Indonesia.
Matthew’s travel insurance had expired and money raised from writing this tune, performing it live at venues around Caithness and from recording it went towards the costs incurred by Matty’s family in having him returned to the UK for surgery.
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Her reel was the Shetland Fiddler’s Society’s Welcome to the Cape Breton Symphony.
Earlier this year, Karen was the winner of the Ontario Fiddle Contest, Richmond, age 40 and over category in May, while in 2023 she won the Ontario Fiddle Contest, Metcalfe, age 50 and over category.
Karen said: “Competing is not something I have explored much at all over the years, outside of the Caithness Music Festival on two occasions and Lairg Music Festival, all in the 1980s.
“By far the most challenging competitions I faced this year were the Pembroke Fiddle Contest and the most recent competition in USA, the New England regional fiddle contest. There were nine competitors in Pembroke, including last year’s winner. I played well but wasn’t sure which way the result would go.
“In the New England, USA, regional Scottish Fiddle competition, I was one of five competitors. The competition was quite stiff with a wide age range competing and the contestants all technically advanced players.”
Karen has one competition still to go this year, with another Ontario contest on Saturday and Sunday, October 5-6.
She added: “The Ontario competitions require competitors to play a waltz, followed by a jig and finishing with a reel. The tunes I will play include; The Black Mask Waltz, Jig for Judi by accordionist Graeme Mitchell, composed for fiddler Judi Nicholson, and the reel, Sheehan’s Reel.”
