Pursuing her two passions in life, music in Orkney and charity work in Africa, has resulted in Glenys Hughes being made an MBE.
Mrs Hughes receives her honour in recognition of her contribution to music in Orkney and charity work in Malawi.
She said: “I was surprised but delighted when I heard I was going to receive this award, which is for my two passions, music in Orkney and the work that I have been doing in Malawi.
“I was director of the St Magnus Festival in Orkney and brought a choir from Malawi to the festival. Out of that grew the establishment of my charity Malawi Music Fund which uses music and the arts to transform the lives of orphaned children there.
“It has been largely down to the generosity of the community through MMF we have been able to raise more than £100,000 to support Malawi’s orphaned children. the award is recognition of the support and involvement of many people in Orkney and Malawi. I am very grateful to all of those people.”
The St Magnus Festival is the major international festival for which Orkney has become famous.
It was not until 1998 that the recognition the festival was gaining led to funding from the Scottish Arts Council and Orkney Islands Council allowing Mrs Hughes to take up the full-time paid post of festival director.
With her late husband Richard she founded the Festival Chorus in 1980, a community choir which performs a major choral work at each festival with a visiting professional orchestra.
On her husband’s death in 1996 she became the chorus’s conductor, holding that post till 2014.
In 2006 she brought a 24 strong choir from Malawi to perform and established The Malawi Music Fund (MMF) which she continues to lead in partnership with musical colleagues in Malawi. She is also involved with the Kirkwall Amateur Operatic Society.