A traditional annual piping and clarsach competition will return this year after being cancelled due to the pandemic.
Clan Donald Lands Trust’s traditional competition will be hosted live from the museum at Armadale Castle, Skye – although competitors will perform remotely.
The Donald MacDonald Cuach for Piobaireachd takes place on June 11 and will be opened by a performance by local piper Archie Maclean in the castle gardens at 7pm.
Stuart Liddell, Callum Beaumont, Andrew Hayes, Finlay Johnston and Glenn Brown will all compete for the top spot as a world-class piper, with their efforts livestreamed to judges and fans.
This will be the 34th year the presitigious piping competition has taken place. It will be hosted by Angus MacDonald and judged by Jack Taylor.
Mr MacDonald said: “We have put rigorous systems in place for recording and judging to ensure that our competition standards are not compromised.
“As ever, the calibre of the competitors is first-class and I am sure we can all look forward to an excellent evening of Piobaireachd.”
On June 12, the Princess Margaret of the Isles Prize for Senior Clarsach will take place at 2pm, with convener John Purser introducing the competition live from the museum.
The finalists are Karen Marshalsay, Pippa Reid-Foster, Fray Thomsen and Loreleï Tochet. Each harpist has composed music especially for the competition, which they will play alongside arrangements of traditional and contemporary works.
Gillian Fleetwood, the internationally acclaimed clarsach player, will be judging the competition.
She said: “I am delighted to be coming to Skye to judge the competition and am eagerly anticipating hearing the performances. The competition is set to be a wonderful showcase of the versatility of the Scottish harp.”
Last year the competitions were forced to cancel due to the pandemic, however, Christine Davis, the marketing manager at Armadale Castle, said that they were determined to run them this year.
She commented: “Facing continued uncertainties, we took the decision to run the competitions virtually to ensure that everyone felt able to participate safely. Although we will miss our live audience we look forward to interacting online and watching some exceptional performances.”
The livestreams will be combined with filmed performances from each competitor and free to watch on the Armadale Castle Facebook page.