Musicians hit all the right notes at 45th Lochaber Music Festival

The 45th Lochaber Music Festival got under way this week with dozens of budding musicians taking to the stage.

The annual festival, which concludes today (Thursday March 21), has a huge range of competitions including vocal, instrumental, traditional, speech, country dancing and ensembles.

Traditional classes took place on Friday and Saturday and all other classes ran on Monday and continued until Wednesday. The final concert, featuring many highlights of the festival as well as the prizegiving, will take place this evening (Thursday March 21).

Results Friday March 15

Chanter Solos - first time in Lochaber Music Festival: 1 Jamie Smith, 89, Distinction; 2 Sandy Halewood, 88, Distinction; 3 Lily Jane Robertson, 84, Commended.

Chanter Solos - second time in Lochaber Music Festival: 1 Zoe Sinclair, 86, Commended; 2 Toby Jacksaw, 85, Commended; 3 Lewis Gibb, 84, Commended.

Bagpipe Solos - Novice A - Slow Air: 1 Natalie Byrne, 89, Distinction; 2 Brandon Watson, 87, Distinction; 3 Fraser Lindsay, 86, Commended.

Bagpipe Solos - First Year Piobaireachd - 1 Andrew Orr, 90, Outstanding.

Bagpipe Solos Intermediate - 1 Jack O’Neill, 84, Commended; 2 Gordon Stevenson, 81, Merit.

Bagpipe Solos - Second Year Piobaireachd - 1 Ronnie McIntosh, 88, Distinction; 2 Patrick Turner, 87, Distinction.

Bagpipe Solos - Senior Piobaireachd - 1 Laura Robertson, 90, Outstanding.

Saturday March 16

Bagpipe Solos - Age 15 and Under - 1 Laura Robertson, 91, Outstanding; 2 Ronnie McIntosh, 88, Distinction; 3 Andrew Orr, 87, Distinction.

Bagpipe Solos - Age 15 and Under -1 Andrew Orr, 89, Distinction; 2 Ronnie McIntosh, 88, Distinction; 3 Laura Robertson, 87, Distinction.

Bagpipe Solos - Aged 16 to 18 - 1 Ben Fulford, 89, Distinction; 2 Patrick Turner, 87, Distinction.

Bagpipe Solos - 18 Years and Under Jig - 1 Laura Robertson, 92, Outstanding; 2 Andrew Orr, 89, 2 Distinciton; 3 Ben Fulford, 88, 3 Distinction.

Bagpipe Quartet - 18 Years and Under - 1 Lochaber High Pipers, 93, Outstanding; 2 LPB Quartet, 92, Outstanding; 3 Lochaber High School Quartet, 89, Distinction.

Clarsach Solos Intermediate - 1 Lily Bloom,

83, Merit; 2 Amelia Gillies,

81, Merit.

Pianoforte Solo Scots Primary Age - 1 Freddie Smith, 83, Merit.

Accordion Solos - Beginners - 1 Rocco Berardelli, 83, Merit; 2 Ruaridh MacMaster, 82, Merit; 3 Duncan MacDonald, 81, Merit; 3 Livia Berardelli, 8, Merit; 3 Maryann Stewart MacDonald, 81, Merit.

Accordion Solos - Advanced - 1 Cameron MacIsaac, 88, Distinction; 2 Lucy MacIntyre, 85, Distinction.

Violin Solo - Scots Elementary - 1 Fiona Austin, 83, Merit; 2 David Rodgers, 82, Merit; 3 Sarah Burton, 81, Merit; 3 Kayla Milne, 81, Merit.

Violin Solo - Scots Intermediate - 1 Seonaidh MacDonald, 84, Commended; 2 Lila Berardelli, 83, Merit; 2 Flora Stevenson, 83, Merit.

3 Sophie Cameron, 82, Merit; 3 Ronnie Fulford, 82, Merit.

Violin Solo - Scots - Advanced - 1 Anna Robertson, 88, Distinction.

Fiddle Group - Age 13 and Under - 1 A’Hooligan Juniors, 86, Commended.

Fiddle Group - Age 18 and Under - 1 Na’ Fidhlearn og, 84, Commended.

Premier Scots Traditional Award - 1 Laura Robertson.

Monday March 18

Bible Readings - Aged 8 to 9 1 Wiktor Galezki, 83, Merit; 2 Olivia Maksymiuk, 82, Merit; 2 Paige Reade, 82, Merit; 2 Victoria Golebiowska, 82, Merit.

Bible Readings - Aged 10 to 11 - 1 Charleigh Adams, 84, Commended.

Choral Verse - Age 12 and Under - 1 Lundavra Primary 7, 85, Commended.

Solo Verse - Girls Aged 6 and Under - 1 Tea Drew, 83, Merit; 2 Myla MacLeod, 82, Merit; 3 Erin MacPherson, 81, Merit; 3 Erin Stewart, 81, Merit.

Solo Verse - Boys Aged 6 and Under - 1 Rocco MacMillan, 84, Commended; 2 Toby Smith, 83, Merit; 3 Jack Campbell, 81, Merit; 3 Caoimh Bellshaw, 81, Merit.

Solo Verse - Girls Aged 7 & 8 - 1 Livia Berardelli, 85, Commended; 2 Charlotte Paget, 84, Commended; 3 Charlie Stewart, 83, Merit.

Solo Verse - Boys Aged 7 and 8 - 1 Rocco Berardelli, 86, Commended; 2 Scott Morgan, 85, Commended; 3 Caleb Collinge, 84, Commended; 3 Ruaridh MacMaster, 84, Commended.

Solo Verse - Boys Aged 11 and 12 - 1 Craig Kennedy, 85, Commended; 2 Fraser Lindsay, 84, Commended.

Poems by Robert Burns Boys - Primary Age - 1 Fraser Lindsay, 84, Commended.

Solo Verse - Boys Aged 9 and 10 - 1 Osian Bellshaw, 83, Merit; 2 Josh McCook, 82, Merit; 3 Calum Riddle, 81, Merit; 3 Premo McLean, 81, Merit.

Solo Verse - Girls Aged 11 and 12 - 1 Lila Berardelli, 86, Commended; 2 Maria Sutherland, 85, Commended; 3 Lucy Bloom, 84, Commended; 3 Katie MacIntyre, 84, Commended.

Poems by Robert Burns - Girls - Primary Age - 1 Victoria Golebiowska, 84, Commended; 2 Lexi InnesOzen, 83, Merit; 3 Mia Hutchison, 82, Merit.

Vocal Solo - Girls Aged 7 and 8 - 1 Eliza Moffat, 84, Commended.

Vocal Solo - Girls Aged 9 and 10 - 1 Lily Jane Robertson, 88, Distinction; 2 Sarah Burton, 87, Distinction.

Vocal Solo - Girls Aged 13 and 14 - 1 Laura Robertson, 86, Commended.

Vocal Solo - Boys Aged 13 and 14 - 1 Jake Sessions, 87, Distinction.

Solos Songs of Burns - Girls Aged 12 and Under - 1 Chloe Reynolds, 87, Distinction.

Solo Scots - Girls Aged 12 and Under - 1 Lily Jane

Robertson, 88, Distinction.

Vocal Solo - Secondary Age Pupils - 1 Jake Sessions, 86, Commended.

Strings Solo (Juniors) Beginners - 1 Freya Comiskey, 83, Merit; 2 Finlay Baxter, 82, Merit.

Strings Solo (Juniors) Under 8 - 1 Lily Cant, 85, Commended.

Strings Solo (Primary) Beginners - 1 Angus Davies, 83, Merit; 2 Imogen French, 82, Merit.

Strings Solo (Juniors) Under 8 - 1 Aaron Tresidder, 83, Merit.

Strings Duet - Two Stringed Instruments - Beginners - 1 Lily Cant, 83, Merit; 2 Isla Cant, 83, Merit.

Strings Solo (Primary) Elementary -1 Talia Ham, 86, Commended; 2 Rowan MacLean, 85, Commended; 2 Xander Whitehead, 85, Commended.

Strings Solo (Primary) Intermediate - Grade 3+ - 1 Elodie Place, 87, Distinction.

Strings Solo (Primary) Elementary - 1 Nia Read, 88, Distinction; 2 Lucy Bloom, 87, Distinction; 3 Isla Cant, 86, Distinction.

String Ensembles - Junior - 1 LMS Junior Strings Ensemble, 85, Commended; 2 Invergarry Primary 6-7, 83, Merit.

String Orchestra - Senior - 1 LMS Senior String Orchestra, 86, Commended.

Orchestral Woodwind Solo - Open -1 Irene Larasser, 86, Commended.

Orchestral Woodwind Duets - Advanced - 1 Rachael White, 86, Commended;

1 Bethan White, 86, Commended.

Pianoforte Solo - Secondary Advanced - 1 Molly Cameron, 83, Merit.

Strings Solo (Secondary) - Advanced - Grades 5+ - 1 Tanya MacDonald, 86, Commended.

Strings Duet - Two Stringed Instruments - Open - 1 Jenny Abell, 85, Commended; 1 Clare Reynolds, 85, Commended.

String Groups - Chamber Group, Trio or Quartet Senior - 1 LMS Cello Quintet, 88, Distinction.

Miscellaneous Groups - Vocal Ensemble (Unconducted) 5 to 16 -1 Songbirds, 88, Distinction.

More results and photographs in next week’s Lochaber Times.

All photographs: Abrightside Photography. Laura Robertson, who won the Premier Scots Traditional Award as well as a number of bagpipe competitions.

Cameron MacIsaac earned a distinction as he won the accordion solos advanced competition.

Rocco Berardelli won the accordion solos beginner competition.

The top three in the chanter solos, first time at Lochaber Music Festival competition, left to right: Jane Robertson, Jamie Smith and Sandy Halewood.

Lochaber High School Pipers quartet who won the 18 and under quartet competition.

Fiona Austin won the Scots elementary fiddle competition.

Above: All the entrants for the Scots elementary fiddle competition.

Freddie Smith won the pianoforte solo Scots primary age competition.

Right: Ben Fulford earned a distinction as he won the bagpipe solos aged 16 to 18.