Bubbling along under the surface for the last 90-odd years, the Inverness Music Festival (this year held from the 1st – 14th of March 2014) has been giving youngsters the chance to compete across a range of fields as diverse and folk song, orchestral ensemble, Clarsach, speech and drama, Scottish traditional music and songs from stage and screen.
Starting in 1922 as a one-day event, the competition now runs for 10 days with over 1,100 entries representing more than 4,000 participants. This increase has mainly been in the last decade where entries have trebled. The festival also benefits from a large body of over 90 volunteers who help to make it happen every year and they give up their time free of charge to be part of something special.
Running from the 1st of March until the 14th, it is held across various venues in Inverness. For further details there is a programme available at Eden Court and in local libraries across the Highlands. You can also get more information from the Music Festival website. Prices range from a very reasonable £1 for kids and £3 for adults to an equally reasonable £5 for the Curtis Craig Competition.
The finale event, the Curtis Craig Competition is on the 14th of March at 7pm and will be held at the One Touch Theatre in Eden Court. This will be a fantastic opportunity to listen to some of the Highlands finest young musicians as this competition finds the winner of winners across Classical Guitar, Clarsach, Vocal, Recorder, Sacred Music and Fiddle. Introduced in 1994, the Curtis Craig Competition was started in memory of Curtis Craig who organised the Inverness Music Festival for many years.
Click for the full syllabus, tickets are available from the Eden Court Theatre.