Memorial concert for John Whyte
Musicians from Lochaber, the UK, and overseas are to come together for a memorial concert for influential Lochaber musician, conductor, and music educator John Whyte.
The Lochaber Community Wind Band (LCWB), Lochaber Gaelic Choir, Great Glen Swing Band, and Spanish group Los Amigos Espanoles de Arancena will be amongst over 80 musicians playing at the free concert on April 6, which will be held at the Nevis Centre in Fort William.
Conducting the array of talent will be Mr Whyte’s friend and fellow trombonist Alan Fernie. The concert promises to include former students of the Lochaber High School brass instructor, as well as cover a variety of musical styles to reflect his love of music from across genres.
Mr Whyte, who passed away last April, was a trombone player since the age of 13 and arrived at Lochaber High School from Glasgow in 1974 to serve as the area’s first brass instructor.
He founded LCWB in 1996 and was a long time advocate for music in Lochaber, both in the encouraging of new musicians and providing a platform for those moving into the area to keep playing.
Prior to his own move to Lochaber he had played for the Scots Guards’ band and studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He was also later invited to become an honorary commando by the Commando Association after helping to establish an annual Concert of Remembrance at the school in which he taught.
Hege Hernæs, who has been a member of LCWB since it was founded, said Mr Whyte had brought brass playing to Lochaber, involving the area in a worldwide musical movement.
She added that the memorial concert would carry the same sense of enjoyment and variation that Mr Whyte brought to his own music.
“It will be a great celebration of John’s work locally, and it will be a concert in his spirit, so everyone will know that it is going to be great fun and have a variety of music,” Ms Hernæs said.
Donations for charity will be taken during the concert, which will begin at 4pm. Due to limited spaces, audience tickets should be booked in advance via the Eventbrite website.
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