Fiona Ritchie
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Fiona Karen Ritchie MBE (born 1960) is a Scottish radio broadcaster of The Thistle & Shamrock, a weekly, Celtic music program for 40 years on National Public Radio (NPR). She curates ThistleRadio, a 24/7 web-based Celtic music channel. She was the co-author of The New York Times Best Seller Wayfaring Strangers.
The radio program has won numerous awards since its inception in 1981, offering a fusion of traditional and contemporary Celtic sounds, interwoven with interviews, in-studio performances and Ritchie's own trademark commentary in her "soft Scots" dialect.[1]
Early years
Ritchie was born and raised in Scotland, where she went to the University of Stirling for her undergraduate education. While there, she was invited to spend one semester in North Carolina in the United States, which was when she first heard NPR. After graduating in Scotland, she returned to North Carolina and, she was hired by WFAE FM, the NPR station in Charlotte, to oversee fundraising and promotion. Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
In 1981 Ritchie began a weekly hour of Celtic music. The Thistle & Shamrock was picked up for national broadcast within two years. Ritchie visited radio stations presenting live broadcasts and events, and in 1989 and 1990, traveled to 22 US cities with The Thistle & Shamrock Concert Tour.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Return to Scotland
Ritchie re-settled in Scotland. She has visited and raised funds for NPR member stations and hosted Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts to Chicago's Grant Park.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
In the UK, Fiona Ritchie has presented programs for BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio 2, launching the Radio Scotland world music series "Celtic Connections" in 1993. She has produced and presented many live concert performances and broadcasts, including a musical event for Prince Charles in 2001 at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, and has acted on the Scottish advisory committee for the British Council.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
In 2006, Ritchie launched Thistlepod, a free podcast from NPR.Her partnership with NPR Music gave rise to ThistleRadio in 2012, a 24/7 web-based Celtic music channel, later hosted by SomaFM internet radio.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
In 2014 her book, Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia, her book was published by UNC Press.[2] The book was co-authored by Doug Orr with a foreword by Dolly Parton. Wayfaring Strangers appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list in two different categories.Template:Fact
The Thistle and Shamrock ended in September 2024.[3]
Awards and honours
Ritchie's awards include six World Medals from the New York Festivals International Competition for Radio Programming, and a Flora Macdonald Award from St. Andrews University (North Carolina), which also conferred upon her the degree of honorary doctorate. Hundreds of Thistle & Shamrock tapes and vinyl albums, along with concert recordings, playlists, newsletters, and related materials are now part of a working archive in the Scottish Heritage Center at St. Andrews University (North Carolina). The archive is open to anyone interested in studying the rich heritage of Celtic music. Ritchie also serves on the Advisory Board of the Swannanoa Gathering folk arts workshops at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
In 2003 the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage honoured her for "creating an on-air community, serving as a musical ambassador, and connecting listeners with the best of traditional and contemporary artistry.”Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Ritchie was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting and traditional Scottish music.[4] In 2016 she received the Hamish Henderson Award for Services to Traditional Music, named for the influential folklorist, poet, songwriter and scholar who died in 2002. The award is presented annually to an individual who has made a substantial difference to the Scottish traditional music world. Upon receiving this honour, Ritchie was also inducted into Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Ritchie's ThistleRadio music channel on SomaFM was awarded Best Music Show: Country/Folk/Blues in the 2017 Online Radio Awards presented by the British streaming service Mixcloud.[5] In 2018, Folk Alliance International inducted Ritchie into their Folk DJ Hall of Fame.
References
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External links
- Thistle Radio – official site
- The Thistle & Shamrock via streaming audio
- Thistle Radio on SomaFM
- "Hamish Henderson Services to Traditional Music Award"
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- Pages with script errors
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- 1960 births
- Living people
- American information and reference writers
- American writers about music
- American women podcasters
- American music podcasters
- NPR personalities
- Scottish expatriates in the United States
- Scottish radio presenters
- Alumni of the University of Stirling
- Members of the Order of the British Empire
- 21st-century American women