Fledgling Aberdeenshire musicians battled it out last night in a competition to find the UK’s best up-and-coming performers.
The Young Musician of the Year awards took place in Inverurie Academy’s assembly hall with singers, violin and even ukulele players taking to the stage.
The regional heat of the UK-wide competition aimed to find the most talented musicians aged 15 and under within the Garioch area.
The winners will progress to regional and national finals.
The event was organised by Inverurie Rotary Club as part of the organisation’s national competition.
Inverurie musicians have been successful in previous years, with youngsters making it through to both the final and semi-final stages.
Last night’s event kicked off at 6.30pm to a packed crowd of locals and family and friends of the 19 participants.
The competition welcomes students of any age, from primary one to secondary school pupils.
Chairman of Inverurie Rotary Club’s youth sub-committee, Steve Martin, organised the event and said he had succeeded in encouraging children to take part to improve their confidence.
The 46-year-old, of St Katherine’s, said: “It has been running for many years as a small scale event, and has been running in conjunction with Inverurie Academy for many years.
“I chose to involve primary schools within the catchment area of the academy and a lot of music schools and clubs from the Garioch. It allowed a much wider range of people to participate.
“We were very pleased and obviously surprised by the number of entrants this year.
“It is a very encouraging event. There is a lot of musical talent in Garioch, that is for sure.”
The competition was judged by Aberdeen University music professor Peter Stollery and former teacher Linda Davidson.
Mr Stollery teaches electroacoustic music and composition and was a founding member of the Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre (Beast).