
Chris Upton
Chris formed his first ceilidh band at the age of 15 in the Scottish Borders. Since then he has played in numerous ceilidh...
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Coll Williamson
Coll began playing piano at school and took up the accordion at University of Edinburgh. Through the University...
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Duncan Cooper
Duncan began playing classical violin aged 8 but since his teenage years he has drifted towards...
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Loris MacDonald
Having been born and raised in the Shetland Islands it doesn’t come as a surprise that traditional music...
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Paul Sinclair
Paul has been playing fiddle for over 15 years, having experimented with a large variety of different...
Full Bio
Sigurd Watt
Siggy studied music at Edinburgh University, here he gained experience playing in jazz bands, function...
Full BioChris Upton
Piano
Chris formed his first ceilidh band at the age of 15 in the Scottish Borders. Since then he has played in numerous ceilidh bands for events like weddings, balls and birthday parties, and spots at local pubs. In 2015 he appeared as a guest artist at the Shetland Accordion and Fiddle Festival, playing with and learning from Scottish, Irish and Norwegian artists. Whilst studying at the University of Edinburgh he got involved in the student ceilidh scene and helped to form 7 Hills. As well as traditional music, Chris's interests lie in Blues, American roots, New Orleans rhythm and blues and bluegrass, which he explores through multiple instruments. He's going on to study a Masters at the University of Glasgow, and will remain to be very active in both the Edinburgh and Glasgow trad scenes.

Coll Williamson
Accordion
Coll began playing piano at school and took up the accordion at University of Edinburgh. Through the University's folk society, he was able to learn new tunes and styles while exploring the numerous sessions around the city. He has played with bands including The Science Ceilidh, Plough, the Edinburgh University folk society ceilidh band and others at many weddings and functions all over Scotland. Through the international youth folk music project Ethno, he has travelled throughout Europe teaching, learning and performing music with fellow young musicians.

Duncan Cooper
Fiddle
Duncan began playing classical violin aged 8 but since his teenage years he has drifted towards Scottish traditional music. He has a host of experience in playing, calling and organising ceilidhs at balls and weddings, as well as more casual events such as birthdays and university society ceilidhs. Duncan is in his 5th year studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh, where he is also the president of the Folk and Traditional Music society. He plays at ceilidhs and sessions regularly throughout the city, and last year spent 2 weeks in Estonia with a band called ‘Ethno on the road’. There he was able to play folk music from all over the world and experience life as a touring musician! Duncan continues to be very active in the local Edinburgh trad scene playing in bands and sessions.

Loris MacDonald
Accordion
Having been born and raised in the Shetland Islands it doesn’t come as a surprise that traditional music has played a prominent part in Loris’ life from an early age. After beginning classical piano lessons at the age of 10, she entered the traditional music scene, taking up both the accordion and fiddle. She has previously performed at many events including the Shetland and Orkney Folk Festivals, North Atlantic Fiddle Convention and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. More recently, whilst completing her Law Degree at the University of Edinburgh, Loris has racked up a wealth of experience performing at ceilidhs for a range of events including weddings, birthdays and various other functions.

Paul Sinclair
Fiddle
Paul has been playing fiddle for over 15 years, having experimented with a large variety of different styles and genres before finally settling on trad music as his main focus, specialising in Scottish and Scandinavian music. His lively and entertaining style combines the musical influences of his Orcadian and Finnish roots, Fife upbringing, and Edinburgh home, with his experiences playing with some of the best names across Europe and the world, including Hanneke Cassel, Kevin Henderson, Antti Järvelä, and Natalie Haas. He has played at a variety of festivals, including the Orkney Folk Festival, Tandem Music Festival, Etno-Espa Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, as well as countless gigs and ceilidhs across Edinburgh, from Holyrood Palace to the Scottish Parliament to Edinburgh Zoo! He also plays piano and accordion, though sticks to his trusty fiddle with 7 Hills!

Sigurd Watt
Drummer
Siggy studied music at Edinburgh University, here he gained experience playing in jazz bands, function bands and being a bandleader. He has worked in music education since 2012 privately teaching drums, piano and leading musical workshops. Organisations where he delivered these services include Canongate Youth and Tinderbox. During the last 10 years he has played in several ceilidh bands including: The Jim Ruxton Ceilidh Band, Islander Ceilidh and the Edinburgh University Folk Society Ceilidh Band. Through his experience in bandleading and playing Siggy decided to start 7 Hills Ceilidh Band which he enjoys running as it continues to grow!
