Pupils celebrate at Burns Festival
Schools music and verse recitals in library
Club president Jim Calderwood presents Blyth BrownSwankie of Craigie Primary School, with the unicorn sculpture for his rendition of ‘Bawsy Broon’, the best recital of a William Soutar poem Perth Burns Club recently held its 31st annual Schools Festival in the Soutar Theatre at the AK Bell Library.
On Sunday, February 4, almost 30 entries from schools throughout Perthshire and Kinross entered classes to compete in Scots verse speaking, solo singing, accordion and fiddle playing.
Once again, the standard of Club president Jim Calderwood presents Morgan Patterson, Strathallan School with the Grampian Cup for solo verse speaking performance was extremely high, with tight decisions in several classes.
In addition to the main awards, all competitors were presented with certificates of proficiency and winners received their trophies from club president Jim Calderwood.
In the first half of the competition, Chloe MacDonald, from Murthly Primary School won the Robert W Donaghy Quaich for solo singing; Heather Rodger, from Perth High School won the Windyedge Bowl for solo singing and the Graham D Thomson Rosebowl for fiddle playing.
Alice Girling, from Kinross High took home the Dalriada Cup for accordion playing; Alice O’Flynn, pupil at Glenlyon Primary School was awarded the Bruce Trophy for fiddle playing.
The festival’s second half was devoted to speaking Scots verse.
In primary school, the Binn Farm Quaich was won by Rosie Shaw, Craigclowan Preparatory School.
The Ruth Lumsden Quaich went to Iain Jordan, from Viewlands Primary School.
And in the section for secondary pupils under 15, Morgan Patterson from Strathallan School won the Grampian Cup for solo verse speaking.
The President’s Prize, for outstanding performance of a work by Robert Burns, was awarded to Charlotte Spiers of Kinross High School, for her full-length ‘Tam o’ Shanter’.
Blyth Brown-Swankie, a pupil at Craigie Primary School took home the Soutar Unicorn for best recital of a William Soutar poem, for his rendition of ‘Bawsy Broon’.