ROWAN LESLIE
Rowan was born near the village of Broughshane in County Antrim in 1991. He started to play the fiddle at the age of seven with the Counties Antrim and Derry Country Fiddlers' Association (generally known as the 'Derry and Antrim Fiddlers'). In his teens he was taught by local fiddler and fiddle maker, Johnny Murphy. He then went on to study with prominent Irish, Scottish and English musicians at the University of Newcastle, gaining a B.Mus in Folk and Traditional Music; he also has a Diploma in Irish Traditional Music. Rowan has been playing for Irish dancers at competitions and festivals throughout Northern Ireland and Europe since the age of thirteen and continues his involvement to this day. After a season with a travelling circus he moved to Glasgow, Scotland where he fronts the Rowan Leslie Band; performs with a number of other groups; gives fiddle tuition to children and adults of all ages and, with his business partner, runs an event management company that provides traditional music for venues throughout Scotland and Ireland. His first CD, Itchy Fingers, on which he was accompanied by pianist Rose Murray and joined by Johnny Murphy, was released in 2009. A CD of his own compositions, Originals, on which he was accompanied by guitarist, Graeme Armstrong, was released in 2017.