Top festival honours for Cara and Ghislaine
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TWO Thurso girls came out on top as the curtain came down on the 57th Caithness Music Festival.
Thurso High School was the venue for the final night of the event on Friday when the section winners battled it out for the overall championships.
In the overall music competition Cara Gordon, a pupil at Miller Academy in Thurso, took home the Henry Rosie Trophy with her rendition of Greensleeves.
In the overall verse-speaking competition, Ghislaine Barry, from Thurso, won the Thurso and District Round Table Shield with her reading of a poem entitled “The Tramp”.
The two overall winners, together with the best performing acts at the festival, took part in two concerts held in Thurso and Wick on Monday.
A regular at the festival since she was six, Cara was crowned overall singing champion for the very first time.
The 11-year-old, who will be starting Thurso High School in the summer, plays the piano and violin as well as being a talented singer.
Speaking to the Caithness Courier, she said that the announcement came as a complete shock to her.
“It was such a big surprise,” she said. “I didn’t think that I was going to win as there were a lot of good singers taking part. But I was so happy when I did.
“It was quite scare singing in front of a large audience at first, but I enjoyed it and would recommend other people to take part in next year’s festival.”
Taking the overall verse-speaking title for the first time, Ghislaine said that she was thrilled with her victory.
The 14-year-old has also been taking part in the festival since she started primary school.
She said that it was a thrill to receive the award on stage.
“I have been taking part in the festival for eight years,” she said. “But this was the first time that I have been competing for the shield.
“It was a very happy moment for me, as I was very surprised to win.
“It is quite nerve-wracking speaking in front of a large audience, but you feel a great sense of pride once you’ve done it.
“I am looking forward to taking part in next year’s festival as it is a lot of fun.”
Festival secretary Audrey MacKinnon said that organisers on the committee were pleased with the response the event continues to get.
“The audience were toe-tapping in their seats and it was great way to end the festival,” she said.
“There were so many people who wanted to watch during the week, but we often had to turn people away as tickets were sold out.
“It is a nice problem to have, but it is disappointing when you can’t accommodate everyone because there is no room.”
Eighteen primary schools and three secondary schools took part as hundreds of children competed in the week-long event.
Mrs MacKinnon said that the festival has a strong future and plans are already under way for next year’s event.
“During the whole week, every school in the Far North has taken part in something,” she explained. “Some schools showed their strength in music making others in verse-speaking. It really came down to what their teaches specialised in.”
She added: “Some schools can’t get music teachers so it is up to the class teachers to learn them about music. It is especially nice to see classes from smaller schools taking part.
“We will hold a meeting later this week to arrange plans for next year’s festival. It has been a very good year and we are now looking forward to 2012.”
Results – Verse-speaking, boys, P6: 1, Ewan Adamson, Reay; 2eq, Daniel Lyall, Hillhead, and Owen Eatough, Mount Pleasant; 3, Connor Ross, Reay. Verse-speaking, boys, P5: 1, Aidan Sutherland, Wick North; 2, Harris Waribo, Miller Academy; 3, James Tunn, Reay. Verse-speaking, girls, P5: 1, Kate Jolly, Pulteneytown Academy; 2, Clarabelle Martens, Lybster.
Vocal solo, girls, P1: 1, Faye Mackay, Reay; 2eq, Rhianna Mackay, Reay, and Rose McCafferty, Thurso. Vocal solo, boys, P2: 1, Jamie Mackenzie, Watten; 2, Isaac Potts, Scotscalder. Vocal solo, girls, P2: Milayna Mackay, Thurso. Vocal solo, boys, P3: 1, Tony Mackay, Miller Academy; 2, Calvin Farquhar, Miller Academy. Vocal solo, girls, P3: 1, Murron McCafferty, Miller Academy, 2, Isla Costello, Miller Academy; 3 Ellie Sinclair, Miller Academy.
Vocal solo, boys, P4: 1, Euan Macdonald, Miller Academy; 2, Aidan Urquhart, Miller Academy; 3eq, Leo Stevens, Miller Academy, and Liam Morrison, Miller Academy. Vocal solo, girls, P4: Cara Mackenzie, Watten. Vocal solo, girls, P6: 1, Mirren Buchanan, Miller Academy; 2, Grace McCafferty, Thurso. Vocal solo, boys, P7: 1, Korbyn Cameron, Thurso; 2, Saul Stevens, Miller Academy. Vocal solo, girls, P7: 1, Cara Gordon, Miller Academy; 2, Danielle Cabrelli, Wick; 3eq, Shona Tait, Wick North, and Rhianna Urquhart, Miller Academy.
Piano solo, grade one: 1, Rosalind Hillhouse, Mey; 2, Corin Murphy, Thurso. Piano solo, grade two: 1, Morag Mackay, Thurso; 2, Kate Jolly, Wick; 3eq, Grace McCafferty, Thurso, and Arran Swan, Thurso. Piano solo, preliminary: 1, Bryony Munro, Papigoe; 2, Shona Tait, Wick; 3eq Rachel Cowie, Miller Academy, and Issac Potts, Scotscalder. Piano solo, grade three: Ria Falconer, Thurso High School. Piano solo, grade four: 1, Jordan Winkle, Scarfskerry; 2eq Eilidh Harper, Scrabster, and Lauren McKay, Thurso.
Piano duets, preliminary: 1, I. Potts and Jack Gunn, Scotscalder. Piano duets, grade five: 1, Brianna Gordon and C. Gordon, Thurso. Piano solo, grade five: 1, B. Gordon, Thurso; 2, C. Gordon, Thurso ; 3, Martha Garbe, Thurso. Piano solo, grade six: 1, Nicola Gray, Castletown; 2, Ghislaine Barry, Thurso; 3, Emma Coghill, Halkirk.
Popular song, P4-7: 1, Keiss P4-7; 2, Pulteneytown P5; 3eq, Wick South P4-5, and Hillhead P6. Psalmody Class: Melvich Gaelic Choir. Group music-making, secondary: 1, Northern Fiddlers, Wick; 2, Gale4s, Latheron; 3, Feis Ghallaibh Senior Folk Group. Church choirs: Central Caithness Churches Choir. Mixed choirs: 1, Melvich Gaelic Choir; 2, St John’s Singers.
Group music-making, traditional Scottish music: 1, The Gordons, Thurso; 2eq, Hot Toddy, Thurso, and Young Traditionals, Wick.
Caithness dialect, adult: 1 Eric Farquhar, Wick; 2, Gus Mackay, Thurso; 3eq Carol Gunn, Wick, and Mary Manson, Thurso. Original poem of Caithness dialect, juniors and adults: 1, Chinid n Ella, by Snowy.
Caithness dialect, P6: 1, Jordan Kennedy, Keiss; 2eq, Morven Macleod, Miller Academy, and John Sutherland, Wick. Caithness dialect, P7: 1, Laura Henderson, Bower; 2, Chloe Stewart, Canisbay. Caithness dialect, S1-S2: 1, Caitlin Forbes, Latheron; 2, Kieran Sutherland, Wick; 3eq, Emma Coghill, Thurso High School, and Kirsty Robertson, Thurso High School. Caithness dialect, S3-S6: Sarah Gunn, Thurso High School. Caithness dialect, P5 and under: 1, Emily Flavell, Reay; 2eq, Amber Durrani, Bower, and Morag Mackay, Thurso.
Drama, primary schools: 1, Lybster P3-4; 2, Lybster, P5-6. Dramatised song, P3 and under: 1, Castletown; 2, Pulteneytown P2-3; 3 Pulteneytown P1-2. Dramatised song, P4 and under: 1, Dunbeath P1-2; 2eq, Reay P3-4 and Watten P3-4. Dramatised song, P4 and over: Miller Academy P6-7.
Verse-speaking, adult: 1, Mary Smith, Thurso; 2, E. Farquhar,. Original poem, juniors and adults: 1, Lineage, The Rhythms of Years, by Janet Mackintosh Cayley. Speech-making, S3-S6: Michael Stone: Castletown
Trophies: Thurso and District Round Table Shield: Ghislaine Barry. Henry Rosie Memorial Shield: Cara Gordon. Church of Scotland Presbytery Cup: Melvich Gaelic Choir. Wick and Pulteneytown Mercantile Debating Society Cup: Central Caithness Churches Choir. Viscount Thurso Cup: Melvich Gaelic Choir. Margaret Henderson Memorial Trophy: Northern Fiddlers.
Rajkovic Memorial Trophy: Lybster P3
Henrietta Munro Shield: Jordan Kennedy. Omand Shield: Laura Henderson.
John Munro Shield: Caitlin Forbes. Thurso Town Improvements Cup: Sarah Gunn. James M. Gunn Dialect Quaich: Emily Flavell. Field of Noss Quaich: Caitlin Forbes. Mackay Shield: Euan MacDonald. Muriel Wilcock Memorial Shield: Ruth Potts. Mrs Humphries Trophies: Ruth Potts and Jacky Potts. Patterson Marwood and Sons Cup: Lyndsay Vines. Margaret Green Quaich: Celia MacDougall and Ruth Potts.
Music Committee Cup: Ruth Potts. Harmsworth Quaich: Celia MacDougall. Lewry Shield: Keiss P4-7. Katrina Geddes Shield: Morag Mackay. Johnstone Shield: Jordan Winkle. Gordon Alexander Memorial Shield: Brianna and Cara Gordon. Manola Harper Cup: Brianna Gordon. Mark Smith Shield: Ewan Adamson. Stroma Cup: Kate Jolly. Eric MacPherson Shield: Ewan Adamson.
