PICTURES: Caithness Music Festival going 'fantastically well' as volunteer helpers are praised
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Organisers of the 2022 Caithness Music Festival say they are delighted with the "lovely atmosphere" following the return of the event for the first time since before the pandemic.
“It is going fantastically well," festival convener Marjory Richard said yesterday.
“It's just brilliant to see everybody again. They just seem to be enjoying themselves.
“After three years of silence, everybody seems to be buzzing. It is superb."
The festival has been running since Tuesday at the Assembly Rooms in Wick.
Mrs Richard praised the team of volunteers working behind the scenes.
“We have such an amazing group of helpers and they're all volunteers," she explained. "They are just wonderful – I can't say enough about them.
“The kids are excited, they are running to get in, they're getting all dressed up. It really is just a lovely atmosphere.
“It encourages us so much as well, because we realise then that all the work that we've been doing throughout the year – preparing for everything, getting the adjudicators organised, the classes, the programme – has been worthwhile."
She added: “Entries are very slightly down on last time but we were surprised actually at how many we got, bearing in mind that for three years there was nothing.
“Obviously education comes before this kind of thing, and everybody was catching up. But the teachers and others have made time with the kids to enter them in, and we're so chuffed.”
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Results:
Popular song P6-P7: 1 Newton Park P7; 2 Noss P7 Red; 3 Noss P6 Red.
Popular song P3-P5: 1 Newton Park P5p; 2eq Newton Park P5j, Noss P5 Blue.
Popular song P1-P2: 1 Noss P3 Yellow; 2eq Newton Park P3j, Newton Park P2p.
Caithness dialect P6: Lily Sutherland
Caithness dialect P5 and under: 1 Martha Potts, Mount Pleasant; 2 Rachel Innes, Wick.
Caithness dialect S1-S2: Kirsty May, Thurso High School.
Caithness dialect P7: 1 Mackenzie Sutherland, Reay; 2 Calder MacDonald, Miller Academy.
Caithness dialect, adult: Lesley Hendry, Wick.
Chanter 10 years and under: 1 Will Fryer, Latheron; 2 Owen Davidson, Thurso; 3 Emme Spence, Thurso.
Chanter 11 years and over: 1 Johnny Bridge, Miller Academy; 2 Lois Manson, Miller Academy.
Bagpipes, march: 1 Morven Miller, Watten; 2 Glenn Miller, Watten; 3 Andrew Sinclair, Latheron.
Bagpipes, strathspey and reel: 1 Morven Miller, Watten; 2 Glenn Miller, Watten; 3 Andrew Sinclair, Latheron.
Original poem P1-P7: Martha Potts, Mount Pleasant.
Humorous verse P4-P7: 1 Martha Potts, Mount Pleasant; 2 Alex Vines, Thurso.
Verse-speaking girls S1-S2: Kirsty May, Thurso High School.
Singing game/action P3/P4 and under, schools with four or more teachers: 1 Noss P2 Yellow; 2 Newton Park P3p; 3 Castletown P1/2.
Singing game/action P3/P4 and under, schools with one to three teachers: Thrumster P1-4.
Choral speaking, rural schools: Thrumster P4-7.
Choral speaking, town schools: Noss P7 Red.
Electronic keyboard solo, primary school: Elsie MacAuslan, Dunbeath.
Scots fiddle solo, secondary school, march, strathspey and reel: 1 Freya Swanson, Watten; 2 Lexie Swanson, Gillock; 3 Camilla Elder, Wick.
Scots fiddle solo, primary school, slow air and march: Phoebe Bain, Thurso.
Scots fiddle solo, secondary school, slow air: 1 Camilla Elder, Wick; 2 Claire Elizabeth McAdam, Wick.
Violin/viola/cello/bass solo preliminary: 1 Taylor Macdonald, Pennyland; 2 Skye Mackenzie, Pennyland.
Violin/viola/cello/bass solo Grade 2: Izzy Alexander, Newton Park.
Violin/viola/cello/bass solo Grade 3: 1 Liam Bruce, Newton Park; 2 Phoebe Bain, Mount Pleasant.
Violin/viola/cello/bass solo Grade 4: 1 Claire Elizabeth McAdam, Wick; 2 Olivia Singh, Castletown.
Clarsach adult: Jessica Sutherland, Lybster.
Clarsach primary school: Alice Sutherland, Lybster.
Clarsach secondary school: Bernadette Nicol, Thurso.
Piano solo preliminary: 1 Rory Davidson, Noss; 2eq Rachel Innes, Molly Stocker, both Newton Park.
Piano solo Grade 1: 1 Olivia Sandecka, Newton Park; 2 Raegan Ross, Newton Park.
Piano solo Grade 2: Olivia Singh, Castletown.
Piano solo Grade 3: Ola Omand, Thurso High School.
Piano solo Grade 4: Lois Omand, Thurso High School.
Piano solo Grade 5: Claire Elizabeth McAdam, Wick.
Verse-speaking boys P5: 1 Patraic O'Prey, Pennyland; 2 Sam Miller, Pennyland.
Verse-speaking girls P5: 1 Emily Mackenzie, Noss; 2 Martha Potts, Mount Pleasant; 3eq Ellen Bain-Smith, Lybster, Victoria Fryett, Reay.
Verse-speaking girls P6: 1 Lily Sutherland, Wick; 2 Zoe Wallace, Miller Academy; 3 Emily Sutherland, Reay.
Verse-speaking girls P7: 1 Skye Bain, Dunbeath; 2 Ava-Jay Campbell, Miller Academy; 3 Maisie Smart, Miller Academy.
Primary choirs P4-P5: Newton Park P4p.
Secondary music-making, Level 3 and under: THiS Flute Group, Thurso High School.
Primary music-making, larger group, 13-plus: Castletown P4/5/6.
Play for Pleasure, juniors and adults: Pentland Brass Band.
Secondary music-making, non-acoustic bands: Take THiS, Thurso High School.
Secondary music-making, larger group, orchestral instruments: Caithness Schools Wind Band.
Junior and adult music-making, chamber music: Rachel McBoyle, Elizabeth Jones and Stephen Jones, Castletown.
Verse-speaking girls P1: 1 Kate Miller, Pennyland; 2 Alice Sinclair, Watten; 3 Alanna Campbell, Pennyland.
Verse-speaking boys P1: 1 Matthew Macdonald, Miller Academy; 2 Arran James Harding, Wick; 3eq Logan Barnett, Evan Steven, both Pennyland, Owen Smith, Newton Park.
Verse-speaking girls P2: 1 Isla Sutherland, Reay; 2eq Grace Miller, Noss, Reese Sutherland, Newton Park.
Verse-speaking boys P2: 1 Robbie Oag, Newton Park; 2eq Owen Alexander Harding, Rhys McBeath, both Newton Park.
Trophies:
Eann Nicolson Shield: Newton Park P7.
Lewry Shield: Newton Park P5p.
Ross Swanson Shield: Noss P3 Yellow.
Henrietta Munro Shield: Lily Sutherland.
James M Gunn Dialect Quaich: Martha Potts.
John Munro Shield: Kirsty May.
Omand Shield: Mackenzie Sutherland.
Field of Noss Quaich: Mackenzie Sutherland.
Caithness Glass Paperweight Trophy: Lesley Hendry.
Practice Chanter Shield, primary: Will Fryer.
Practice Chanter Shield, secondary: Johnny Bridge.
Piping Challenge Shield, march: Morven Miller.
Bagpipes Shield, strathspey and reel: Morven Miller.
The Simon Lamb Quill: Martha Potts.
Dorothy Cup: Kirsty May.
Peter Pan Cup: Noss P2 Yellow.
Mrs J Gill Cup: Thrumster P1-4.
Miss Mary Webster Shield: Thrumster P4-7.
Caithness Glass Bowl: Noss P7 Red.
Music Committee Shield, Scots fiddle: Freya Swanson.
Thurso Strathspey and Reel Society Cup: Phoebe Bain.
Wick Accordion and Fiddle Club Shield: Freya Swanson.
Braehillor Grant Shield: Camilla Elder
Jack Duncan Memorial Shield: Liam Bruce.
Mentiplay Shield: Claire Elizabeth McAdam.
Katrina Geddes Shield: Olivia Sandecka.
Johnstone Shield: Ola Omand.
Manola Harper Cup: Claire Elizabeth McAdam.
Stroma Cup: Emily Mackenzie.
Wick Town Improvements Shield: Lily Sutherland.
Edgar Cup: Skye Bain.
