You'd think they had won the World Cup! Primary pupils buzzing at Caithness Music Festival
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The 2023 Caithness Music Festival has been an exciting new experience for younger primary pupils who missed out during the Covid lockdown.
While the long-established event returned in 2022 for the first time post-Covid, festival secretary Audrey MacKinnon pointed out that some schools were only now getting "back into the swing of things".
She was also pleased to note that trophy successes had been well spread out among schools taking part in the four-day festival in Wick Assembly Rooms.
Speaking on Friday, the final day, Mrs MacKinnon said: “It has been a wonderful week. Everybody has been so excited, especially the wee ones, the primary ones to threes, because a lot of them through lockdown never had any part in the festival.
"They're just starting to learn about the festival now – it's a new experience.
“It used to be just the P1s, but now you're up to twos, threes and fours because they had those two years off.
“The schools are fantastic and they're all getting back into the swing of things. If you look at our winners' concert, it's all different schools that seem to be winning things.
“All the wee ones were so excited, and they all love going outside and getting their photos taken.”
Mrs MacKinnon gave the example of one young class that had been particularly thrilled to win a trophy. “They were coming off the bus and they were just buzzing and saying to their teacher, 'Please Miss, what are we doing next year?' They were just raring to go!
“Their teacher said you could actually feel the buzz, everybody was so happy. You'd think they had won the World Cup!
“That is really nice. That's what you want the festival to give – you want it to give the kids that buzz to say, 'What are we doing next year?'”
The winners' concert will be held in the Assembly Rooms on Monday at 7pm.
Results:
Recorder, level three: Abiela Williamson, Caithness.
Strings – Violin/viola/cello/bass, grade seven and above: 1 Rebekah Bullivant, Caithness (violin); 2 Leah Bullivant, Caithness (violin); 3 Talitha Williamson, Caithness (violin).
Woodwind – Grade one: Abiela Williamson (flute).
Brass – Grade three: Charlie Denley-Spencer, Thurso High School.
Grade one: Theo Eves, Watten; 2 Lachlan Copinger, Noss.
Verse speaking – Boys, P1: 1 Toby Ronaldson, Newton Park; 2 Logan Mackay, Pennyland.
Girls, P1: 1 Hallee Weir, Pennyland; 2eq Saoirse Macleod, Noss, and Zoe Sinclair, Newton Park.
Boys, P4: 1 Archie Tait, Noss; 2 Joshua Mackenzie, Noss; 3eq Cameron Anderson, Noss, and Matthew Anderson, Noss.
Girls, P4: 1 Esther Spratt, Melvich; 2eq Lauryn Sutherland, Reay, and Sophie Sutherland, Reay.
Choirs – Rural schools: 1 Castletown P4-7; 2 Watten; 3 Thrumster.
Secondary school, Scots song: Thurso High School Choir.
P1-3: Castletown P1-3.
Eighteen years and under, two or more parts: Tutti Tots, Halkirk.
Secondary school choirs, two or more parts: Thurso High School.
Music-making – Primary schools – Larger group, 13 plus: Castletown P5/6.
Small group: Castletown Flutes.
Verse speaking, girls P3: 1 Isla Sutherland, Reay; 2 Grace Miller, Noss; 3 Torran Bain, Dunbeath.
Boys P3: 1 Robbie Oag, Newton Park; 2 Samuel Hall, Dunbeath; 3 Shay Macdonald, Newton Park.
Caithness dialect – P7: Lily Sutherland, Wick.
P5 and under: 1 Alex Vines, Mount Pleasant; 2 Daisy Mackenzie, Noss.
Adult: 1 Marney Bruce, Wick; 2 Lesley Hendry, Wick.
Vocal solos – Boys, P2: Scott Vines, Mount Pleasant.
Scots song: Andrew Harper, Wick.
Scots song, S3-6: Olivia Murton-Armer, Wick.
Scots song, primary: Martha Potts, Thurso.
Chanter, 10 years and under, march, two-part: 1 Caalin Rosie, Noss; 2eq Olivia Oag, Newton Park, and Emme Spence, Mount Pleasant.
Chanter, 11 years and over, march, four-part: 1 Finlay McDonald, Castletown; 2 Eilidh Budge, Halkirk.
Bagpipes, march, four-part: 1 Arran King, Sordale; 2 Morven Miller, Watten; 3 Glenn Miller, Watten.
Bagpipes, strathspey and reel, four-part: 1 Arran King; 2 Morven Miller; 3 Glenn Miller.
Bagpipes, march, two or four-part, primary school: Samuel Gunn, Lybster.
Trophies:
Zelda Chaikin Linekar Cup: Abiela Williamson.
Fiona Shearer Shield: Rebekah Bullivant.
Roy Stewart Memorial Shield: Abiela Williamson.
Tomlinson Quaich: Toby Ronaldson.
Pentland Cup: Archie Tait.
Henrietta Sinclair Shield: Castletown P4-7.
Wick Junior Choir Cup: Thurso High School.
Flo Dixie Cup: Castletown P1-3.
Johnston Memorial Cup: Tutti Tots.
Wick Old Parish Shield: Thurso High School.
Ferguson Shield: Castletown P5/6.
Diana Curran Memorial Shield: Isla Sutherland.
Grover Clyne Centenary Bowl: Robbie Oag.
Omand Shield: Lily Sutherland.
James M Gunn Dialect Quaich: Alex Vines.
Field of Noss Quaich: Alex Vines.
Caithness Glass Paperweight Trophy: Marney Bruce.
Practice Chanter Shield, primary: Caalin Rosie.
Practice Chanter Shield, secondary: Finlay McDonald.
Bagpipes Shield, march, primary: Samuel Gunn.
Bagpipes Shield, strathspey and reel: Arran King.
Piping Challenge Shield, march: Arran King.
Margaret Green Quaich: Andrew Harper.
Thurso Choral Society Shield: Olivia Murton-Armer.
Agnes Custer Memorial Shield: Martha Potts.
Leslie Sheppard Shield: Caithness Wind Band.
Treble Clef Trophy: Andrew Harper.
Margaret Henderson Memorial Salver: Wick Young Fiddlers.
Related stories:
- Praise for behind-the-scenes helpers as 2023 Caithness Music Festival gets under way
- Around 2500 far north children taking part in 'friendly festival'
- Caithness Music Festival adjudicators praise schools for going 'out of their way to create opportunities'
The 2023 festival began on Tuesday. It had to be condensed into four days this year as schools had an in-service day on Monday.
