Drummer Finlay the one to beat at festival

MUSIC: Winning performance at opening morning of week-long event

One of the first winners in the 88th Arbroath and District Music Festival has spoken about his pride after victory in two categories on the opening morning of the competition.

Drummer Finlay Simpson took first prize in elementary snare drum and elementary timpani as the week-long competition got under way in the town’s Webster Memorial Theatre.

The 12-year-old said: “I put in quite a lot of practice. I just like playing the drums really – they’re fun.”

Proud Dad Craig Simpson, from Dundee, said both Finlay and sister Gracie, who is in primary 5, had got a lot out of competing on the opening morning.

“Music is a great part of their lives so it’s a great experience to prepare for something like this with a little bit of pressure and to help them deal with nerves,” he said.

“It is a fantastic experience for them, and the organisers do such a great job here.”

The young percussionist scored 90 out of 100 in elementary snare drum – qualifying him for the competition’s top prize, the blue riband.

Violin Solo Grade 5+ winner Elanor Leydecker scored 92, and second place Sasha Clement scored 90 in their category, putting both into contention.

Adjudicator Glynn Forrest, a Glasgow-based percussionist, said he had been impressed by what he had seen and heard so far.

He added: “I have been doing the festival for eight or nine years and the standard is very high.

“The entrants in the elementary category seem to be getting younger and younger each year.”

The competitive music festival is open to pre-school, primary, secondary school and adult choirs, solo singing, percussion, brass, piano, woodwind, guitars and verse.

For the first time the festival also includes a category for electric guitar.

Yesterday’s results:

Elementary Snare Drum

1 Finlay Simpson, 90; 2 Harley Douglas, 89; 3 Libby May, 88 Elementary Timpani

1 Finlay Simpson, 89; 2 Libby May, 87; 3 equal Ranki Durston and Summer Hainsworth, 84

Elementary Tuned Percussion

1 Libby May, 87; 2 Franki Durston, 86; 3 Summer Hainsworth, 83.

Violin Solo Grade 1-2

1 Antoine Hoffet, 87; 2 equal Isla Cavill, Jasmine Higgins and Abigail Owen, 86.

Violin Solo Grade 3-4

1 Isla Fairburn 86; 2 equal Sarah Campbell and Grace Clark, 85.

Viola Solo Grade 1-2

1 Eva Richardson, 86.

Viola Solo Grade 3-4

1 Tia Douglas, 85.

Violin Solo Grade 5+

1 Elanor Leydecker, 92; 2 Sasha Clement 90; 3 Ailsa Miller 89.

Elanor Leydecker and Ellie Mcconnell practising before competing in the Grade 5+ Violin Solo.

Isla Fairbairn, above, from Broughty Ferry won the Violin Solo Grade 3-4 and Finlay Simpson, from Monifieth High School won both the Elementary Timpani and Elementary Snare Drum sections.

Pictures: Paul Reid.