Friday 5th June 2026 (120)

Leavers' Concert

Congratulations to all of our pupils on an outstanding Leavers' Concert on Thursday evening.

The concert celebrated all of our leavers, with the latter part of the evening focusing particularly on our S6 pupils as we reflected on their musical journeys so far and looked ahead to the exciting opportunities and challenges that await them.

Each performer gave a superb recital, demonstrating not only their musical achievements but also the commitment, resilience and enthusiasm they have shown throughout their time at ACMS.

The evening concluded with a special premiere of a piece composed by Willow specifically for our S6 leavers and written with their individual instruments and personalities in mind. It was a thoughtful and fitting way to bring the concert to a close.

We are also extremely grateful to our Boarding Team for providing such a wonderful reception afterwards. It was lovely to see pupils, parents, staff and friends enjoying the opportunity to chat over tea, coffee and cake.

NESPA Festival

Congratulations to all of our pupils who have been participating in the NESPA Festival this week.

Throughout the festival, our musicians have performed across a wide range of instrumental disciplines, age groups and categories. More importantly, they have embraced everything that makes these events so valuable: performing under pressure, listening to their peers, receiving expert feedback and learning from every experience.

It has been particularly enjoyable speaking to pupils as they return each day, hearing them discuss what went well, what they might improve next time, performers who inspired them, and the challenges of working with an unfamiliar accompanist in an unfamiliar venue.

The festival continues today and concludes with the Gala Concert this evening. Organising an event of this scale is a tremendous undertaking, and we are enormously grateful to everyone at NESPA for yet another excellent festival.

A huge thank you must also go to all of the parents and family members who have worked together throughout the week, transporting pupils between classes across Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire. The teamwork, support and camaraderie shown by our families is wonderful.

Thank you also to our tutors, who invest so much time, expertise and care in preparing pupils for these events. Competitions such as NESPA provide invaluable opportunities for young musicians to grow and develop, and we are extremely fortunate to have a festival of this calibre right on our doorstep.

We will be sharing a larger photo carousel on our Instagram page next week, but here are a few snapshots from the week so far.

ACMS at Haddo House

This weekend sees one of the highlights of our year as ACMS takes up residence in Haddo House for a day of music-making across the estate.

Click for Programme Info

Over the course of the day, pupils will present fourteen performances in a variety of beautiful and historic spaces throughout the house and grounds.

Our sincere thanks go to everyone at Haddo House for the tremendous support they have given us in planning this event and for making us feel so welcome.

If you happen to be in the area, please do come along and support the concerts. All performances are included with normal admission to the estate and are free to members of the National Trust for Scotland.

A special thank you also goes to Aberdeen City Music Service for kindly lending us a large number of folding music stands for the occasion, and to our great friend of ACMS, Mr Gault, for collecting them, delivering them to us, and then returning them next week. Acts of kindness such as these make events like this possible.

We hope to see many of you there.

VERY Early Closing Reminder

Following our very busy day at Haddo House, ACMS will close early on Monday 8 June to allow staff and pupils a little well-earned rest and recovery.

All ACMS activities will finish at 3.45 pm on Monday.

Normal activities will resume on Tuesday.

Scottish Opera

What an incredible year it has been for our young vocalists! 

Over the course of this academic year, our singers have taken part in four extraordinary workshops with Scottish Opera at the Technical Centre in Glasgow, gaining a unique insight into the world of professional opera.

Highlights have included:

• Working alongside professional conductors, singers, instrumentalists, directors, choreographers, designers and stage management teams

• Attending full opera performances and observing major theatre rehearsals

• Sitting amongst the orchestra in the pit

• Rehearsing and staging five opera scenes under professional direction and choreography

• Performing these scenes in a public sharing event at the culmination of the project

The experience has been inspiring, eye-opening and unforgettable. Along the way, our pupils have formed wonderful friendships, not only within Scottish Opera but also with talented young musicians from Scotland's other Centres of Excellence.

A huge thank you to everyone at Scottish Opera for the care, expertise and enthusiasm that have made this opportunity possible. The impact of these experiences will remain with our young singers for many years to come.

Specialist Weekend 10

Our final Specialist Weekend of the academic year begins this afternoon.

We have a full programme of rehearsals planned before heading to Haddo House on Sunday, and we are looking forward to seeing everyone later today.

Dyce Community Centre Concert

Congratulations to the pupils who performed at the recent lunchtime concert at Dyce Community Centre.

The programme featured a variety of solo performances, music hall songs and upbeat musical theatre favourites. This concert has become a valued fixture in our annual calendar, and we are always made to feel incredibly welcome by the audience and organisers alike.

Thank you to everyone involved.

ACMS Photograph

It is always exciting when we gather together for a whole-school photograph.

This year's photograph proved particularly challenging to organise, with many pupils still competing at NESPA throughout the day. We are very grateful to the parents who helped ensure pupils could return in time to be included.

Our thanks go to the team at Turas Photography for making the session relaxed, efficient and enjoyable. We look forward to seeing the finished photographs.

Bank Holiday Reminder

A quick reminder that Monday 15 June is a local holiday.

There will be no ACMS activities throughout the day or evening, and Boarding will reopen on Tuesday morning.

A Night at the Opera

We are incredibly grateful to Scottish Opera for the interest they continue to take in the development of our young musicians.

They have very kindly provided tickets for our pupils to attend a performance of Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro on Thursday 11 June, and we will be attending as a whole-school activity.

If possible, pupils may wish to spend a little time familiarising themselves with the story and some of the famous arias beforehand. It is one of the greatest operas ever written and promises to be a wonderful evening.

Thank you once again to Scottish Opera for their generosity and continued support.

ACMS Summer Concert

A reminder that our Summer Concert takes place on:

Saturday 13 June 5.00 pm Fountainhall Church at the Cross (formerly Queen's Cross Church)

The concert will feature solo performances, chamber music, jazz, traditional music and large ensemble items, showcasing the extraordinary breadth of music-making that takes place across ACMS.

We very much hope you can join us.

British Pipe Band Championships

It was another big weekend for our pipers, Kai, Taylor and Ruben, with Ruben competing in his first major championship. It was a wonderful experience for all three pupils.

The British Pipe Band Championships took place on Saturday 30 May at the Royal Highland Centre in Ingliston, near Edinburgh. More than 125 bands from across all grades descended on the venue for the first major championship of the 2026 season.