A small north church has pulled off a musical coup with a highly acclaimed touring Russian choir set to perform there next week.
Four members of the prestigious Lyra Russian Choir will perform at Daviot Church south of Inverness on Friday, May 29.
The touring choir is made up of professional musicians and singers, most of whom are postgraduates or students at the highly regarded Saint-Petersburg Conservatoire.
The group spend most of their time working in different choirs in Saint-Petersburg – but come together for touring.
They represent different musical professions, ranging from opera singers to music teachers and conductors
Lyra mainly perform traditional Russian folk songs and also choral music from the country’s orthodox church.
The 25-piece choir actually performed at the tiny Church of Scotland establishment, which sits close to the A9 Inverness-Perth road, a few years ago
Rev Reg Campbell had happened on the group by chance when he first invited them – and was so impressed with the performance he has been trying to attract them back ever since.
He said: “It is a big event for the church. We very much enjoyed them last time and I’m looking forward to having them back.
“I had actually visited St Petersburg on a trip up the Baltic before and I hadn’t realised that they were mostly from the Saint-Petersburg Conservatoire.
“They were absolutely superb, top notch performers and the church was very nearly full.
“I’m really looking forward to the coming back.”
The church seats around 200 people and a large crowd is expected to attend the concert
Although the choir has more than 25 members, it tends to perform in small groups of soloists.
Four members of the choir will present a concert in Daviot which reflects their musical heritage, incorporating the music of the Russian Orthodox Church along with traditional folk and operatic music.
The concert starts at 7.30pm with tickets available at the door for a suggested donation of £5. For further information contact Rev Campbell on 01463 772242.