Friday 12th June 2026 (121)

Dear All,

Since the last edition of The Shout, there have been no fewer than six ACMS trips and events, making this one of the busiest and most exciting weeks of the year. Whether performing, competing, attending professional productions or simply enjoying time together as a community, our pupils have represented ACMS brilliantly.

Heritage and New Horizons at Haddo House

Last Sunday saw one of the most ambitious performance projects ever undertaken by ACMS.

In partnership with Haddo Arts, the National Trust for Scotland and the team at Haddo House, ACMS presented Heritage and New Horizons, a day-long celebration of music set within one of the North East’s most beautiful historic venues.

Across eight hours, pupils and staff delivered an extraordinary 14 concerts in 7 different venues throughout the estate. From solo piano recitals in the Library to Mozart arias in the Drawing Room, chamber music, jazz, traditional music, clarsach, Baroque music and an outdoor piping recital in the courtyard, visitors encountered music around every corner of Haddo House.

The setting provided pupils with a unique opportunity to perform in a variety of spaces, each bringing its own acoustic and artistic challenges. The day required considerable organisation, adaptability and teamwork, with pupils moving between venues, supporting one another behind the scenes and maintaining exceptional levels of focus and professionalism throughout.

A particular highlight was the outdoor Bagpipes and Friends performance, which filled the courtyard with music and attracted visitors from across the estate. The day concluded with a beautiful service of Choral Evensong in the chapel, providing a fitting and reflective end to a remarkable day. For many of our pupils it was their first experience of singing Evensong, and for some it was their first experience of singing publicly as part of a liturgical service.

Beyond the performances themselves, the project offered invaluable opportunities for pupils to develop confidence, resilience and leadership. Many introduced concerts, supported logistical arrangements and helped fellow performers throughout the day.

We are enormously grateful to the teams at Haddo House, Haddo Arts and the National Trust for Scotland for their warmth, enthusiasm and support. Their generosity helped create an unforgettable experience for our pupils.

Thank you also to our dedicated tutors, support staff, parents and families. Events of this scale simply do not happen without an enormous amount of work behind the scenes.

We were particularly touched to receive a number of letters and messages of thanks following the event. The overwhelmingly positive response has been wonderful to read, and we very much hope this marks the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership between ACMS and Haddo House.

Taylor Opens the Jimmy McBeath Memorial Concert

Congratulations to Taylor, who opened the Jimmy McBeath Memorial Concert at Portsoy Town Hall as part of the 16th Haal Festival.

The concert celebrated the rich traditions of Scottish and Irish music, song, storytelling and culture, featuring an outstanding line-up of professional performers alongside students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Taylor, this year’s recipient of the Wheeler Trophy for the most dedicated Traditional Music pupil at ACMS, opened the evening with a superb set of traditional music and represented the school with distinction.

Many thanks to Mr Birse for accompanying Taylor and supporting him throughout the event.

NESPA Celebration Concert

Congratulations to all of our pupils who performed in the North East of Scotland Performing Arts Celebration Concert, bringing the 101st Aberdeen Music Festival to a close.

It has been wonderful to see so many ACMS pupils performing throughout the week, developing confidence, making new musical connections and achieving success across a wide range of classes.

Thank you to the organisers, volunteers, adjudicators, accompanists, tutors and families who make such events possible each year.

A Night at the Opera

A huge thank you to Scottish Opera for inviting ACMS pupils to attend their wonderful production of The Marriage of Figaro, the acclaimed revival directed by Sir Thomas Allen.

The cast were in sparkling form, the orchestra was outstanding and the production proved a truly memorable experience. For many pupils, this was their first opportunity to see a Mozart opera performed live.

We remain enormously grateful to Scottish Opera for the opportunities they continue to provide our pupils through workshops, projects and performances. It is a partnership we value greatly and one which continues to inspire our young musicians.

Thank you also to the staff who volunteered their time to assist with supervision and transport.

Jazz for Kids Out

Congratulations to our young jazz musicians who performed at the Rotary Club’s annual Kids Out event at Bogendrait Equestrian Centre.

The event provides a fantastic day out for around 500 children with additional support needs, and our musicians entertained children, families and carers with a lively programme of jazz and funk favourites throughout the day.

This is now our third consecutive year supporting the event, and we are already looking forward to returning next year.

Boarding Summer Trip

A huge thank you to our wonderful Boarding team for organising this year’s summer outing.

The pupils enjoyed an afternoon of bowling followed by ice cream and plenty of laughter. The weather managed to provide a little bit of everything, including sunshine and showers, but thankfully nobody seemed to mind.

It was also lovely to welcome Margaret back for a visit and to see her catching up with pupils and staff.

Thank you to everyone involved in organising such an enjoyable day.

Chief Officer’s Blog

We were delighted to see ACMS featured in the Chief Officer’s Blog this week in an article celebrating our musicians at the recent Leavers’ Concert.

It is always wonderful to see the achievements of our pupils recognised more widely, and we are grateful for the continued support shown towards the school.

Grade 6 Music Theory

We have a three-hour written theory examination taking place tomorrow morning at Dyce Academy.

Good luck!

ACMS Summer Concert

Our Summer Concert takes place this Saturday at 5.00pm at Fountain Hall at the Cross (formerly Queen’s Cross Church).

The programme will feature a wide variety of music rehearsed and performed throughout the year, together with a few additional surprises prepared especially for this concert.

We would be delighted to see as many pupils, families, friends and supporters there as possible.

End of Year Assessments

Our annual end-of-year assessments take place next Tuesday and Wednesday.

We are very much looking forward to welcoming Andrew McIntosh as our external assessor. In addition to providing valuable feedback to pupils, Andrew will also select this year’s Junior Young Musician of the Year and Senior Young Musician of the Year from the principal study performances presented during the assessment process.

We wish all pupils every success and hope they enjoy the opportunity to showcase the progress they have made over the course of the year.

Margaret

Last week, during our Leavers’ Concert, we said a formal and rather bittersweet farewell to our much-loved Boarding Depute, Margaret, who retires after more than two decades of dedicated service.

Margaret has included a short message of thanks. While we already miss her enormously, we are excited for the adventures that retirement will bring and wish her every happiness for the future.

As always, a huge thank you to our staff, pupils, parents, carers, tutors and supporters. Weeks such as this involve an extraordinary amount of planning, organising, rehearsing, transporting, supervising, problem-solving and teamwork behind the scenes.

We are incredibly fortunate to be part of such a supportive and enthusiastic community.

Have a wonderful weekend, and we hope to see many of you at the Summer Concert on Saturday afternoon.

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