Gaelic choir announces Oban woman as its new musical director

Kerrie Kennedy has been appointed to the position following the retirement from conducting of its previous musical director May Brown, who had been in post for the last 15 years.

Kerrie is an award-winning Gaelic singer and Gaelic choral conductor. She won the An Comunn Gaidhealach Gold Medal at the Royal National Mod in Falkirk in 2008 alongside her now husband Lyle Kennedy.

Kerrie started singing at a very young age as a soloist and junior chorister at local and national mods and eventually joined Dingwall Gaelic Choir when she was 18, singing there for 15 years under the direction of the late Hamish and Kirsteen Menzies.

Kerrie began her journey as a conductor with junior choirs many years ago before becoming conductor of the male voice choir, Coilich a’ Chinn a Tuath and Aberdeen Gaelic Choir, before stepping down after the Royal National Mod in Oban last October.

More recently, Kerrie has also established a new Gaelic youth choir for primary and secondary pupils in the Oban and Lorn area called Ceòlach, where she also teaches with the local Gaelic Medium Education unit.

She said: "I am absolutely delighted to begin this new chapter with Aberfeldy Gaelic Choir. I have enjoyed watching them perform many times on stage and equally enjoyed a good singsong with them at a few ceilidhs over the years.

"They are already a fabulous choir and I am very excited to get cracking."