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‘We can’t lose this’: Plea for volunteers to save Aberdeen and North East of Scotland Music Festival

Aberdeen and North East of Scotland Music Festival is due to celebrate its centenary next year - but needs more volunteers to make that happen. Supplied by Janette Hall.
Aberdeen and North East of Scotland Music Festival is due to celebrate its centenary next year - but needs more volunteers to make that happen. Supplied by Janette Hall.

Vocal coach to the stars Yvie Burnett has issued a rallying call for volunteers to save the festival she credits with kick-starting her career.

Aberdeen and North East of Scotland Music Festival is under threat after the group that runs it failed to attract enough board members at its annual meeting last month.

The Aberdeen and North East of Scotland Musical Festival Association is now preparing to hold an extraordinary meeting in an 11th hour attempt to bring in new members.

More than 800 people took part in the festival, which celebrates includes music, dance, speech, drama and literature, this June.

But festival director Janette Hall the team simply “can’t go on” as they currently are – and need not only new members, but younger ones who can keep the festival – particularly as it approaches its centenary.

Yvie Burnett credits the music festival for helping her as a young singer and is encouraging others to help save it

‘The festival was the way I learned my trade’

Opera singer and vocal coach Mrs Burnett is urging people to attend the EGM and do what they can to secure the future of the festival.

Mrs Burnett, who has worked on shows including The X Factor, The Voice and Britain’s Got Talent, who believes her early days of performing at the festival paved the way for her career.

“Growing up, the music festival was the way I learned my trade and to sing in front of people,” the mezzo-soprano said.

“As a teenager, I entered the festival every year, sometimes I won, sometimes I didn’t – you had competition from another school in another area, it kept you on your toes.

“A bit of competition is healthy for you, athletes are used to doing that, but with singers you don’t tend to have that, but it’s a good thing for us to learn.

“In order to go into it as a career, you need that bit of experience in performing, people are not going to have that chance.”

As well as Mrs Burnett, past competitors have included Annie Lennox and world-renowned percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie.

Supplied by Janette Hall.

‘We can’t lose this’

Mrs Burnett described it as a “really bad day for the arts” as she encouraged people to help save the festival.

“Maybe people will come and say ‘now I’m retired, I’ve always gone to the festival, I’d like to volunteer.’

“Sometimes you just need a bit of a kick and to go ‘oh my goodness, no we can’t lose this’ and maybe more people will come along and add to the volunteers,” she added.

This year’s festival was held over five days in June, with performances taking place from at the Music Hall and Holburn West and Mannofield churches in the city.

While it is primarily competitive, anyone can enter the classes non-competitively.

The EGM will be held on November 17, and festival director Mrs Hall said anyone who attends will be made welcome.

Annie Lennox also competed at the music festival while growing up in Aberdeen.

‘We need new people’

She told The Press and Journal: “We can’t go on. For many years now we’ve said we need new people. We need new people because the existing people are either elderly or they’ve been doing it for a long time and they’ve got other things to do with their lives.

“But we also need new people because you need young people coming through with fresh ideas and to keep the festival relevant to whatever young people are interested in. Although it’s not just for young people, it’s open to ages five to 95.

“There’s a job for absolutely everybody. We need a range of people, a range of ages, a range of skills. There’s something for everyone, we’re a friendly bunch.”

Both Mrs Burnett and Mrs Hall believe a decline in music education at school means it’s all the more important for events like the festival to continue.

Mrs Hall said: “It’s just so important to keep music alive in the city and it’s under threat in lots of ways, with the schools not able to provide the same level of tuition as before.

“Everybody says they’ve got great memories of being in the festival.”

Aberdeen City Council’s culture spokesman and chair of the authority’s education and children’s services committee Martin Greig said: “The music festival is an important cultural event in the city.

“It would be great if a few individuals could come forward and generously volunteer their time as board members. This would help to ensure the future of the festival in this its centenary year.”

The EGM will take place on Thursday, November 17 at 7.30pm in the H1 Building at Hill of Rubislaw, Aberdeen.

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