So hard to beat!
Perform in Perth haul
Two Strath siblings have scooped a swathe of First Class and Honours certificates between them at the annual Perform in Perth festival.
Talented teenagers Noah and Leo Chalamanda from Braco took part in this year’s virtual competitions.
The festival, which celebrated its centenary this year, was run online after being interrupted by the national lockdown halfway through its two-week programme in 2020.
It provides opportunities for performers of all ages in categories of music, dance and speech to perform alongside their peers and be adjudicated independently by highly- esteemed experts.
Noah (16), who learns percussion through the Juniors programme at the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow, has taken part in the festival for a number of years.
But Leo (14), who learns viola with mum Fiona, performed as a soloist for the first time in the Grade 5 Strings category.
He said: “It was less nerve-wracking performing to a camera in my own house than standing on a stage, but I may have a go when the festival is live again.”
Noah missed the interaction with an audience as he presented pieces in the Marimba, Drumkit and Snare Drum categories, but still found the festival a great focus for his practice.
He also came away with some silverware, the Wilkies’ Music Shield, for his Snare Drum entry.
Noah and Leo, who both attend Crieff High School, come from a musical family, where playing music has been passed down through the generations.
Mum Fiona plays violin, viola and piano and dad Nat plays guitar, keyboard, sings and writes songs. The pair are well- known in the Strath’s musical community, regularly performing their signature Malawian and Scottish-inspired music under the name Moyenda.
Fiona learned the violin from her mum, who now has dementia and is cared for by Fiona.
She said: “Music is really important to her, and she loves it when the boys play for her outside her window.”
And the family also occasionally all play together.
During the first lockdown, Braco residents were treated to a few gigs on the street following the weekly Thursday clap for carers.
The brothers’ winning performances, along with many others from the festival, can be viewed online on the Perform in Perth website at http://www. perthshire-music-festival.org.uk
It was less nervewracking performing to a camera in my own house than standing on a stage Leo Chalamanda