Gaelic Choir - Aberfeldy & District Gaelic Choir
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About the Choir

Aberfeldy & District Gaelic Choir was formed in 1967 by music teacher Jimmy Scott, and Elizabeth MacDiarmid, Gaelic tutor. It currently consists of some 24 voices, and is Highland Perthshire's only Gaelic choral society.

In its early years, the choir competed in provincial Mods and the rural choirs' section of the National Mod. By the early Eighties, it was able to compete at the highest level for the Lovat & Tullibardine trophy and, in 1988, with Nancy MacKenzie as conductor, the choir won this coveted accolade. In 1999 under the baton of Frances McCallum, the choir won first prize in the Puirt a Beul competition.

The choir was immensely fortunate to have the talented and charismatic Isobel Rutter as its conductor from September 2007 to October 2008; Isobel was succeeded - equally fortunately - by our own May Brown, who continues to provide musical direction.

A Brief History of the Choir

Read Susan MacDonald's fascinating story of how the choir was formed, and its progress over the last 40 years...>>>

 

 

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Above: Aberfeldy & District Gaelic Choir, at the National Mod in Paisley, October 2013

Left: Musical Director May Brown and Gaelic Tutor Mary Stewart, afer the Choir's success at the Aberfeldy Mod, June 2013

For the majority of choir members, Gaelic is not the first language, and Mary Stewart provides tuition and encouragement in the song-learning process and to those who are keen to speak the language. Our efforts have been rewarded with a number of An Comunn Gaidhealach language passes.

Aberfeldy Gaelic Choir's programme includes participation each October in the Royal National Mod (to be held in 2014 in Inverness), in addition to our own local Mod, and other Provincial Mods. Our repertoire is drawn mostly from a wide and diverse range of Gaelic songs, but is supplemented with a variety of other music for events such as carol concerts and charity performances.

Among our highlights: we visited Torrevieja in Spain in 2005, singing in two concerts to raise several thousand pounds for cancer charities; and we have performed in TWO Celtic Connections festivals at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, most recently in February 2008 with Margaret Bennett.

 

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