Pictures of the Past – 1984's Moray Music Festival at Elgin Town Hall
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FOR many, the 80s, in musical terms, are remembered with great fondness.
For a group of local pupils, the Moray Music Festival in 1984 provided a chance to take the stage and display their musical talents.
Moray youngsters picked up their instruments and gathered at Elgin Town Hall for the big day.
The 40-year-old pictures show pupils from a range of local schools, including Forres Academy and Elgin Academy. Do you recognise anyone from these photographs?
Taken from the Northern Scot - published Saturday, March 24, 1984: A FEW TEARS, many smiles; great sighs of relief from small children when their part is over; some laughter, a lot of fun; great harmony, a little discord; surprising talent, spontaneous applause – the ingredients of Moray Music Festival.
With a recipe that has proved successful in the past, the 1984 festival opened on Monday, and will end today, with an exceptional demonstration of the district’s musical abilities that has impressed adjudicators.
And although it is the competitors who win marks and applause, their teachers also came in for praise.
“I am delighted to find such a lively group of string teachers up here,” said Hester Dickson, coach and repetiteur at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow, after adjudicating the strings section.
“Children here are getting the chance to do solo and ensemble work, and playing in orchestras, and receiving as a result a good, broad musical education that is obviously not being forced on them.
Miss Dickson said she had been very impressed with the standard of playing - and with the organisation of the festival.
“The organisation of a festival like this, can make a tremendous difference to the performances of children taking part. Without good organisation, tensions can build up, people become unhappy, and the standard reflects that.”
Adjudicator Mr Wallace Berry, said he had been particularly impressed with the group music making, especially from the upper primary school classes.
“They have been a real treat; very well organised, very musical, and very well directed by their conductors and teachers,” he said.
Mr Graham Wiseman, organising secretary and adviser in music, Grampian Region, said they had been very pleased with the way in which the festival was progressing.
“The most important feature of the festival is that it provides young musicians and their teachers with the opportunity to achieve standards which they, perhaps, would not normally reach for in their day to day work in school,” he said.
“All good teachers are striving for high standards at all times – trying to get the best out of their pupils – but if they have to prepare a choir or soloist for competition this will provide the added incentive to strive for an even higher standard.
“The fact that we have had so many very talented young musicians here this week underlines that.”
Commenting on the adjudicators’ praises of the festival’s organisation, Mr Wiseman said that the administrative side of any competition was very important, giving the tension, excitement and nerves that all competitors experienced.
“We try to make the atmosphere as smooth and calm as possible, and we have a marvellous group of helpers who are now very experienced in running the festival.”
The competitive classes end today, and tomorrow sees the festival’s traditional concert in Elgin Town Hall when some of those who have delighted adjudicators and audiences during the past week will have the opportunity of performing for the public again.
