A “BEAUTIFUL” bagpipe tune composed for the charity set up in the memory of a Scottish musician killed in the Manchester Arena terror attack will receive its debut this month.
Eilidh MacLeod was attending an Ariana Grande concert with her friend Laura MacIntyre when the audience was attacked in a bomb blast in May 2017.
The 14-year-old from Barra was one of 22 people killed in the incident.
A member of the Sgoil Lionacleit Pipe Band, Eilidh was a keen musician, and the ensemble performed four songs in her honour at her funeral.
The charity Eilidh’s Trust, which supports young people who are learning music and performance, was established in her name. Now, a new bagpipe tune has been composed for the Trust.
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The work of music student Fergus Bryce, it will be given a special debut at the National Piping Centre in Glasgow on March 13.
The 20-year-old, originally from Evanton in the Highlands, said he is “really happy” with how the tune has turned out so far.
He said: “The music is specifically written to be optimistic and looking to the future – something that ties in perfectly with the ethos of Eilidh’s Trust.
“I hope the listeners will enjoy the tune as much as we have in composing and performing it, and that it adds to Eilidh’s legacy in supporting music education for other young musicians.”
A winner of the European Championships, Scottish Championships and World Championships as part of Inveraray and District Pipe Band, Bryce has been drumming since the age of eight.
The tune is different from that released in 2018 to raise funds for a memorial to Eilidh, the design of which was unveiled last year.
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Work is continuing on the bronze sculpture, which features a young female bagpiper reaching out to a young boy also learning the instrument.
It is hoped this will be established on the island later this year.
Suzanne White, founder and trustee of Eilidh’s Trust, said Bryce’s “really beautiful” piece of music “captures the true positivity of youth and ambition for the future – things the trust strives to support”.
She went on: “This is what the trust is all about, supporting our young talent to exploit their skills and enthusiasm to excel in the world of music.
“We cannot thank Fergus enough.”
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