The Rotary Young Musician local final was held by Kirkcudbright Rotary Club at Kirkcudbright Academy on Thursday evening 11 February 2016.
This event was held in the recently expanded Music Department at the Academy before a panel of three judges, headed by Jamie Brand, Head of Creative and Aesthetic subjects at Annan Academy, Sheila Scott recently retired teacher and wife of Rotarian Gavin Scott, and Rebecca Hickman a musician and Academy School Support Manager.
The Academy Music Teacher, Miss Hannah Gill, had selected seven students from the junior school and nine from the senior school to compete at this local stage for the title of Rotary Young Musician.
The audience of parents, friends and Rotarians was treated to an evening of entertainment, which opened with a rowsing performance of piping by Euan Donald and ended with an amazing rendition by flautist Kirsty McGonigle.
Jamie Brand in his wind-up speech said the judges were impressed by the ‘astounding’ standard of performance and had a difficult task choosing the order of winners. They awarded joint first place in the junior competition and joint most promising overall. The full list is as follows:
Joint Winners Juniors Euan Donald on bagpipes
Talitha Wiliams on clarinet
2nd Juniors Laurie Goodare singing ‘Memory’
Winner Seniors Kirsty McGonigle on flute
2nd Seniors Josh Adams on guitar
3rd Seniors Nathen Syed-Tollan on piano
Joint Most Promising Erin Dalrymple on cornet
Ailsa McCulloch on flute
Mention must of course be made of the Staff Cluster Choir, drawn from the teaching staff of the Academy and cluster of local primary schools, which ably entertained during the pause between Junior and Senior competitions, led by Kate Picken.
As Jamie Brand said this level of talent does not happen by accident, it is driven by the enthusiasm, inspiration and energy of the music teacher Miss Hannah Gill. The winner of the senior competition Kirsty McGonigle has been recommended for entry into the Rotary District 1020 SW Area competition at Annan next Thursday 18 February 2016. We all wish her good luck.
