William Jackson has been at the forefront of Scottish traditional music for nearly 30 years. 

He was a founding member of Ossian in 1976, which became one of Scotland's best-loved traditional bands. The band, whose music influenced a generation of musicians, extensively toured the U.S. and Europe. Besides harp, he also plays tinwhistle and bouzouki.

While working with Ossian, he also established himself as a composer and he has steadily knit together Celtic influences with classical instrumentation in a style uniquely his own.

His "Land of Light" won the international Song for Scotland competition in 1999, organised by The Herald to find a new Scottish Anthem.

He has an impressive list of commissioned works and subsequent recordings, including "The Wellpark Suite," "St. Mungo", and "Inchcolm". A 1996 commission from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra resulted in "A Scottish Island", and used traditional and classical music together. His commission, "Duan Albanach", was created for the 2002 opening of the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow.

October 2007 saw the premiere of his new commission "Fantasia on Scottish Themes" for the Asheville Symphony in North Carolina. This piece was commissioned to accompany a performance of Mendelssohn's "Scottish" symphony. William will also perform with The Cape Cod Symphony in December 2008.

William has composed music in Scotland for the BBC and Scottish television and directed and performed the music for "The Battle of the Clans" for the History Channel. William's performance on harp, whistle and bodhran is featured on the soundtrack of A Shot at Glory, starring Robert Duval and Michael Keaton, which was filmed in Scotland.

2004 Recipient of Swannanoa Gathering Master Music Maker award for Lifetime Achievement.

Recording Credits

Land of Light, Duan Albanach, A Scottish Island, The Celtic Suites, Inchcolm, The Ancient Harp of Scotland, The New Harp ( March 2008 )

With Ossian: The Carrying Stream, Light on a Distant Shore, Borders, Seal Song, Dove Across the Water, St. Kilda Wedding, Ossian.