Festival will show off young music skills
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A POPULAR Highland music festival will showcase some of the country’s best young talent to celebrate Scotland’s Year of Young People.
This year’s Blas Festival, organised by Fèisean nan Gàidheal and Highland Council, will provide a platform for talented youngsters to show off their skills in traditional music and express themselves through culture.
The celebration will culminate with an Òran Mòr performance in Inverness on Saturday, September 15, with more than 500 young artists scheduled to perform alongside the likes of Skipinnish and Trail West at Northern Meeting Park.
Organisers have high hopes for a big turnout, and expect at least 3000 spectators to attend the 14th edition of the event.
As well as the chance to participate in the event, Blas is also offering a commission for a young musician which will guarantee them the chance to perform a new piece at the festival before having the work recorded.
The festival will also feature a Ceòl nam Fèis concert involving 150 youngsters.
Fèisean nan Gàidheal’s Arthur Cormack said: "Blas has always involved young people as performers at events, mainly from Fèisean we support but also from the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music based at Plockton High School, as well as the Highland Council regional music groups such as Snas and Còisir G.
"This year their involvement will be even more widespread as young people take on a key role in creating, organising and running events, offering them a range of experiences in the process."
The council’s chairman of corporate resources and chairman of the Gaelic strategy and implementation group, Councillor Alister Mackinnon, said: "The Highland Council is delighted to be supporting this signature event to celebrate the Year of Young People in the Highland area.
"The young people of the Highlands are our future as we rely on them to be the traditional bearers of our language and culture."
Tickets for Òran Mòr will go on sale later this month when the full programme will also be announced.
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