World class music has landed in Kilmelford

Melfort Music, a new project bringing top-notch talent to a rural community, was the idea of musician and Melfort House country home and private dining owner Matthew Anderson.

Mr Anderson, who has lived at Melfort for 20 years, has hosted many small but successful concerts over the last few years but had a bigger ambition in mind.

As chairman of Kilmelford and Kilninver Village Hall, he got support of committee members to create Melfort Music.

Mr Anderson said: “Melfort Music’s vision is to allow everyone to access great music at an affordable price - more important than ever with the cost of living crisis whilst fully appreciating the true value of professional musicians who need to make a reasonable living from their talent.”

The scheme’s long-term goal is to bring a wide variety of music and top musicians from all over Scotland and beyond to the Melfort stage.

To help make it happen, sponsorship has been secured from Kilninver Estate, Loch Melfort Hotel, Melford House and Kames Fish Farm. Moving the concerts into the Kilmelford and Kilninver Village Hall which can seat over 100 people has been proved a great success, said Mr Anderson.

The first concert was in April featured Lochaber’s Iain Macfarlane and Ingrid Henderson.

Based mainly on harp and fiddle, and mixing traditional and newly written material, their music gave a unique insight into the rich history and music of the West Highlands.

The next concert will be on Tuesday September 12 featuring Charlie McKerron, Tim Eden and Ross Ainslie widely regarded as the finest traditional musicians in Scotland. “Quite a coup for Melfort Music,” added Matthew.

It is also hoped to get another concert in place for early summer, he said.