Biggar accordionist Jake Johnstone earns runner-up spot in national contest

A talented young accordionist from Biggar hit the high notes as he finished as runner-up in a prestigious national music festival.

Jake Johnstone shared second place in the Scottish young musicians solo performer competition, held at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) in Glasgow and featuring 31 performers from local authorities across the country.

The 15-year-old “enthralled” the audience and judges with his performance, accompanied by younger sister Jenna on the piano.

Biggar High fourth-year pupil Jake won the South Lanarkshire heat of the competition to earn his place in the closely-contested final, won by saxophonist Euan Kemp of Douglas Academy.

Jake shared second place with Aberdeenshire pianist Magnus Shanks, with each receiving a trophy, certificate and £250 to spend on musical activities, plus a coaching session and masterclass slot at the Conservatoire.

Head adjudicator John Wallace, the trumpeter and former RCS principal, said: “You could put today’s winner and runners-up on any stage anywhere in the world and they would do the whole of Scotland proud.

“We have been completely blown away by how the standards continue to rise year on year and how these young people are keeping certain genres alive – it’s been absolutely staggering to behold, and we hope to broaden the competition to include even more genres and categories next year.”

He was joined for the “difficult job” of judging by soprano Jane Irwin, violinist Greg Lawson, clarinettist Adam Lee and pianist Sinae Lee, while there were also performances from award-winning groups Campbeltown brass ensemble and Belmont Academy woodwind ensemble.

Scottish Young Musicians chair Alan Kerr praised the final’s “31 incredibly affecting performances” and said: “The standard has been extraordinarily high and we’ve seen some very emotional playing that has left our audience and adjudicators absolutely enthralled.

The nationwide competition is run by the Music Education Partnership Group, who work with schools and local authorities to support music education and opportunities.

Final host Jamie MacDougall, the singer and broadcaster, added: “The standard this year exceeded all expectations, with mature performances that were really well presented – there was no sign of fear or nerves which was undoubtedly helped by the supportive atmosphere backstage.”

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