Young Highland Musicians Prepare For Concerts Festival

12th November 2013

Young Highland performers prepare to celebrate their musical achievements at showcase concert festival.

Over 300 young musicians from across the Highlands have been busy rehearsing for their showcase Concerts Festival which will feature performances from eight different groups in collaboration with internationally acclaimed Scottish conductor Garry Walker and members of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Held in the Osprey Arena at MacDonald Aviemore Resort on Saturday 23 November, the festival will open at 2.20pm with a specially written and exciting drum fanfare performed by the drum corps of Highland Youth Pipe Band. Next on stage will be the Highland Schools Wind Band at 2.30pm. They will be followed at 3.10pm by Còisir G, the Gaelic choir then the Highland Youth Big Band will take to the stage at 3.50pm.

This unique festival of music continues for the rest of the afternoon and evening with the Highland Youth Pipe Band on stage at 4.30pm. They’ll be followed by the Highland Youth String Orchestra at 5.40pm, snas’ the traditional music group will play from 6.20pm, the Highland Youth Choir 7.00pm and the festival will end with the Highland Regional Youth Orchestra performing at 7.40pm.

In this, the 25th season since the first of these groups (HRYO) was formed, the musicians have been inspired by a collaboration with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO). Musicians from RSNO have been mentoring members at rehearsals and the Youth Orchestra has been delighted to work with the internationally renowned Conductor, Garry Walker who will lead them in the final concert of the Festival in performances of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite and Elgar’s Wand of Youth Suite no.1.

The eight Highland Regional Music Groups are organised and run by The Highland Council as an extension to the work of its Instrumental Tuition Service. Membership for all groups is by invitation after an Audition Day held in May each year. Some of the musicians are also members of national instrumental ensembles.

The Council’s Music Development Officer, Norman Bolton said: “The groups are populated by some of Highland’s most talented young musicians from primary and secondary schools across the area and range in ages from 6 years up to 17. The musical groups give young players the experience of performing live at the highest standards and the chance to develop their skills beyond any opportunity available in individual schools. It is a testament to the standards of these groups that external organisations and musicians are more than happy to collaborate with us. I hope as many people as possible take this opportunity to come and enjoy some terrific music. This festival will really have something for everyone and really can’t fail to prove that youth music-making in Highland is flourishing.”

The festival is generously sponsored by Macdonald Aviemore Resort and Friends of Highland Young Musicians. Festival entry, costing £10 for 18 years and over and £5 for children allows ticket holders to come and go throughout the day. All entry will be by cash only on the day.

More information about all of the groups can be found at: www.highland-young-musicians.com

Details of guest conductor – Garry Walker

Winner of the 1999 Leeds Conductor’s Competition, Scottish born Garry Walker studied at the Royal Northern College of Music. In October 1999, at very short notice, he conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s opening concert of their Barbican season. This lead to his appointment as Permanent Guest Conductor until 2003 when he was made Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra from 2003 – 2007. He then became Principal Conductor of Paragon Ensemble and now enjoys a close association with Red Note Ensemble Scotland’s première contemporary music ensemble.

He has worked with orchestras across the world including all the BBC orchestras, the Hallé, the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, City of the Nieuw Ensemble, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Misikkollegium Winterthur, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Auckland Philharmonia and the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

An experienced opera conductor, Garry Walker conducted David McVicar’s much acclaimed production of Benjamin Britten’s The Turn of the Screw and Raskatov’s A Dog’s Heart for English National Opera, Cimarosa’s The Secret Marriage for Scottish Opera and Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine at the Linbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Outside the UK he as conducted Curlew River for Lyon Opera and a new production by Calixto Bieito of Hosakawa’s Hanjo at the Ruhr Triennale.

Future plans include conducting a new production for Garsington Opera.