70th schools music festival

SHETLAND’S 70th schools music festival launches on Sunday night with a clutch of top local musicians broadcasting live online from Mareel at 60north.tv.

The opening concert begins at 7pm with past winners of the Young Musician of the Year award, including Maggie Adamson, Abby Hayward, Chris Stout and Alice Mullay.

They will be joined on stage by the likes of the Saturday Morning Music Club and the Shetland Youth Wind Band with members of local band Veev.

Music and school staff will present a blend of ‘40s swing and a Shetland-wide choir will perform Rhythm of Life.

During the week ahead there will be a programme of 1,430 young people and their teachers and instructors taking part in 200 entries for 34 different classes to find Shetland’s best young musicians.

This year’s festival is being adjudicated by Andrew Adamson who attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama where he studied piano and oboe.

Advertisement8 of 10

He has taught for many years and was also in demand as an oratorio singer, performing throughout Scotland, held the post of principal teacher of music in Dingwall for 26 years and laterally was principal examiner in music for the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

The senior and junior young musicians of the year competition begins on Wednesday night at 7pm.

The whole festival culminates at 7pm on Thursday with a gala concert, all at Mareel, with some of the best performances of the week.

All the daytime classes and Monday and Tuesday evenings are free and everyone is welcome.

Tickets for the opening concert on Sunday, Young Musician of the Year on Wednesday and the gala concert on Thursday are £6/£4 and available from Shetland Box Office.