Woodside teen does Aberdeen proud in prestigious national music competition.
Nadine Ralston, 16, had the honour of competing in the final of the Scottish Youth Musician of the Year 2023, after securing victory in the regional final In Aberdeen.
Her skills on the harp secured her place in the national final of Solo Performer of the Year, in the competition, after beating competitors from across Aberdeen City.
Nadine couldn’t believe it, when it was announced she had won the Aberdeen Final and would be going on to perform at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) with musicians from across the country. She said, “when I was at the regional final and they said my name as the winner, I was so shocked and thought ‘how can it be?’”.
She pushed aside her shock and nerves to fully enjoy the fabulous experience in Glasgow.
“The whole competition was unreal! I even got to visit the RCS ahead of the competition as they let me borrow a pedal harp for my performance. I got to try their harps and choose which one I wanted to play! It was such an amazing experience, not only running about RCS and looking in their practice rooms but also performing on their stage. Just being able to say that you performed in RCS is a great honour.
“I tried to just enjoy it, take my time and really enjoy showing off the piece I played, rather than rushing to get it over and done with. I think that showed in my performance.
“I also met so many talented people. When we were in the green room backstage, we were all just speaking to each other. The amount of experience that everyone had, they were all amazing musicians. So, it was great to be able to speak to them. And when we weren’t playing, we got to go and be a part of the audience and watch the other people play. Which is amazing because you got to really appreciate their performance and skill.”
Having never imaged when she first began playing the harp, she’d end up in a National Competition, Nadine realised just how big an impact her hobby has. “I started playing the harp for fun and to see where it would take me, now I’m doing things I never imaged I could!”
Nadine “fell into” playing the Harp at the age of nine, when she first picked it up at Woodside Primary School. Captivated by the melodic and peaceful sounds the instrument produces, the harp has brought her only joy and an excitement to learn new things. Since then, she has gone on to study at Aberdeen City Music School, honing her craft.
The teen’s passion for her instrument and her gratitude for every opportunity to play is evident when she speaks. Although Nadine doesn’t plan to go on to study music when she leaves school, for the moment, she is dedicated to the harp and will continue to play as much as possible. Nadine said “I want to learn more pieces and just perform and just enjoy it really. I’m going to go with the flow and see where it takes me.
“I want to thank my teachers, who are amazing, I wouldn’t have gotten this far without you!”
If you’d like to see Nadine in action, you can catch her free pop-up performance during this year’s Wayword Festival. Nadine will be performing in the main hall of the King’s Pavilion on the University of Aberdeen Campus on Saturday the 23rd of September from 4:45pm to 5:15pm.
Make sure to book a free ticket to the event through the Wayword website.