PICTURES: Caithness Music Festival draws to a close after ‘a great week’
Organisers of the Caithness Music Festival have had “a great week” with positive feedback from adjudicators about the high standard on show across all categories.
Around 2500 competitors have taken part in the week-long festival at the Assembly Rooms in Wick, and festival convener Marjory Richard said: “It has gone really well.
“The only blip we had was we worried that we wouldn’t get the parents in to support their children on Monday because of the number of seats needed for schools. But after a lot of juggling about, we got it fixed and there are going to be no problems in the future.
“It has been a great week. The adjudicators have been spot-on – they have been superb.”
Mrs Richard made a point of praising the contribution of long-serving festival secretary Audrey MacKinnon.
Mrs MacKinnon is in her 50th year of involvement in the festival. She has been on the committee for 38 years, as secretary for most of that time.
“If it wasn’t for Audrey there would be no festival,” Mrs Richard said. “She has been doing it for so long, she has got it off to a fine art. We just rely on her 100 per cent.”
Earlier in the week, adjudicator Robin Versteeg had spoken of the “really friendly feel” to the event. Fellow adjudicator Rebecca Vines said she was “in awe” of the teachers who created opportunities for children to take part, and added: “The standard has been great.”
Speaking on Friday, Mrs Richard reported a decline in the Caithness dialect aspect of the festival.
“Caithness dialect is down,” she said. “We had five entries this year after two cancelled.
“Caithness dialect seems to be dying out, which is such a shame.”
The Flo Dixie Cup for school choirs, P1-3, is a century old this year. It was won by Castletown.
Flo Dixie was credited with bringing a wide variety of entertainment to Caithness in the 1920s.
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Results:
Wednesday – Junior and adult instrumental duets, level 5: 1 Elizabeth Jones-Singh and Olivia Singh, Thurso. Junior and adult instrumental duets, level 7 and above: 1 Bekah and Leah Bullivant, Caithness; 2 Elizabeth Jones-Singh and Olivia Singh, Thurso.
Piano, grade 6: 1 Leah Bullivant, Caithness. Piano, grade 5: 1 Olivia Singh, Thurso High; 2 Ola Omand, Thurso High.
Piano, grade 7 and above: 1 Claire McAdam, Wick; 2 Elizabeth Jones-Singh, Thurso. Recital, 16 years and over: Claire McAdam, Wick.
Poem, girls P1: 1 Alex Macdonald, Reay; 2 Ruby Struthers, Pennyland; 3eq Rhea Jardine, Melvich, and Hannah O’Brien, Melvich.
Poem, boys P1: 1 Hughie Tunn, Reay; 2 Gregor Macdonald, Miller Academy.
Poem, girls P2: 1 Leah Gray, Castletown; 2 Orla Crawford, Mount Peasant; 3eq Clara Andersen-Murphy, Reay, and Saoirse MacLeod, Noss, and Renee Webber, Pennyland.
Poem, boys P2: 1 Rowan Bloodworth, Reay; 2 Toby Ronaldson, Newton Park.
Original poem, adult: 1 Judith Crow, Wildflower Graveyard.
Trophies – Gordon Alexander Memorial Shield: Elizabeth Jones-Singh and Olivia Singh. Betty Maxwell Glass Piano Trophy: Bekah and Leah Bullivant. Manola Harper Cup: Olivia Singh.
Patterson and Marrwood and Sons Cup: Claire McAdam. Tomlinson Quaich: Hughie Tunn. Maureen Allen Shield: Leah Gray. Daniel Quinn Lundie Shield: Rowan Bloodworth.
Thursday – Scots fiddle ensembles, with or without accompaniment: 1 THS Fiddle Group. Traditional Scottish instrumental music group: 1 THS Scottish Group.
Recorder, preliminary: 1 Jack Stoneman, Castletown.
Brass, grade 1: 1 Cara Sinclair, Watten. Brass, grade 2: Theo Eves-Munro, Watten.
Woodwind, preliminary: 1 Poppy Robertson, Mount Pleasant. Woodwind, grade 2: 1 Zoe Wallace, Thurso High.
Poem, girls P3: 1 Alanna Campbell, Pennyland; 2eq Artemis Kieran, Reay, and Morven Munro, Reay. Poem, boys P3: 1 Robbie Tait, Noss; 2 Matthew MacDonald, Miller Academy; 3 Michael MacDonald, Reay.
Trophies – Ian Sinclair ACV Memorial Shield: THS Fiddle Group. Margaret Henderson Memorial Trophy: THS Scottish Group.
Roy Stewart Memorial Shield: Zoe Wallace. Diana Curran Shield: Alanna Campbell. Grover Clyne Centenary Bowl: Robbie Tait.
Friday – Caithness dialect, P5 and under: 1 Joshua Mackenzie, Noss; 2 Archie Tait, Noss.
Caithness dialect, P6: 1 Alex Vines, Mount Pleasant; 2 Jodie Bremner, Thrumster.
Caithness dialect, S1-S2: 1 Marcus Bremner, Wick High.
Secondary school Scots song: 1 THS Choir, Thurso High. Rural schools: 1 Castletown P4-7; 2 Thrumster; 3 Watten. Secondary school choirs: 1 THS Choir.
Primary school Scots song: 1 Dunbeath. Primary school choirs, P1-3: 1 Castletown P1-3.
Junior and adult group music-making, small groups: 1 Castletown Flutes P7. Junior and adult group music-making, larger groups: 1 Castletown P5/6.
Non-acoustic bands: 1 Echo, Farr High; 2 In Crisis, Thurso High.
Classical guitar/acoustic guitar/ukulele, primary: 1 Tessa Simpson, Halkirk; 2eq Joshua Bullivant, Caithness, and Alex Vines, Mount Pleasant. Classical guitar/acoustic guitar/ukulele, secondary: 1 Donald Farquhar, Strathy.
Electric guitar/bass guitar, primary: 1 Alex Vines, Mount Pleasant. Electric guitar/bass guitar, secondary: 1 Matty Puchalski, Farr High; 2eq Taylor Omand, Thurso High, and Leo York, Farr High.
Folk song: 1 Lesley Hendry, Wick; 2 Andrew Harper, Music Monster. Songs from the shows: 1 Andrew Harper, Music Monster. Scots song: 1 Andrew Harper, Music Monster; Lesley Hendry, Wick.
Junior and adult group music-making: 1 Caithness Wind Band.
Trophies – Wick Junior Choir Cup: Thurso High School. Henrietta Sinclair Shield: Castletown P4-7. Wick Old Parish Shield: Thurso High School.
Lady Jessamine Harmsworth Shield: Dunbeath. Flo Dixie Cup: Castletown P1-3. Wick Quatercentenary Trophy: Castletown P7. Ferguson Shield: Castletown P5/6.
John Munro Shield: Marcus Bremner. Henrietta Munro Shield: Alex Vines. James M Gunn Dialect Quaich: Joshua Mackenzie. Field of Noss Quaich: Joshua Mackenzie.
Treble Clef Trophy: Andrew Harper. Margaret Green Quaich: Andrew Harper. Hamilton Shield: Caithness Wind Band.