Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Musical marvels
Youngsters shine at Rotary contest heat
An in-tune sensational six were music to the ears of judges at the Lanarkshire heat of the prestigious Rotary Young Musician of the Year competition.
Among the individual category winners were five talented Coatbridge performers as the Coatbridge, Airdrie & Monklands Rotary Club hosted the glittering ceremony at New College Lanarkshire’s Coatbridge campus.
Coming out on top in the percussion section was delighted Coatbridge High youngster Caitlin Russell.
Nimble-fingered Sarah Donaldson was named string section winner and her fellow St Ambrose High pupil Matthew Ruddy shone as victor in the woodwind category.
It was a great night for Coatbridge secondary school St Ambrose High as a further two students tasted success; key performer Alice Kane in the piano section and dulcet-toned Kiera McGuire, who sang her way to victory in the vocal category.
Morgan Tait of the Whitburn Youth Brass Band scooped both the brass section prize and the Lanarkshire heat’s overall winner honours for her dazzling turn on the flugelhorn.
All six musical marvels will now advance to the next round of the competition – the Central and West Area Final, which will take place at the Lesser Hall in Airdrie’s Sir John Wilson town hall on Thursday, February 16.
If they can sing and perform their way through that stage, they will only be three more rounds away from reaching the national final in Cardiff on May 6.
A Coatbridge, Airdrie & Monklands Rotary Club spokesperson told the Advertiser: “This year saw the largest amount of entries to the Lanarkshire heat ever at 45 competitors.
“The whole evening was a demonstration of the breadth of musical talent among the young people of the region – and a real treat for music lovers.
“Everyone did a fantastic job on stage and it was clear that these youngsters will all have a bright future in music.
“Rotarian John Gray hosted the competition in his usual well organised but casual style and the audience were in great spirits throughout.”
The spokesperson added: “We had a top panel of judges tasked with the very difficult job of deciding on the winners; Kathryn Callander, Hughina Naylor and Fiona Chapman.
“Kathryn had just returned from judging at the National Mod in Stornoway, Hughina is well known in Lanarkshire for her work with youth orchestras and Fiona is a beloved flautist and teacher from Annan in the Borders.
“All three were thrilled by the standards on display in the competition and took their time judging on the winners of each category; we thank Kathryn, Hughina and Fiona for their contributions.
“Rotarian Keith Sharp, the director of Specsavers for Airdrie and Coatbridge, had Specsavers sponsor the event and the rotary club is indebted to his help; without this we would have struggled to put on this competition.”
Winners Caitlin Russell, Morgan Tait, Sarah Donaldson, Matthew Ruddy, Alice Kane and Kiera McGuire are pictured above (left-to-right) alongside Keith Sharp (left) of Specsavers and Lanarkshire heat host John Gray, of Coatbridge, Airdrie & Monklands Rotary Club.