AN INVERKIP man is lending his voice to the National Youth Choir of Scotland as it marks its 30th anniversary with a landmark gala concert in a world-famous Edinburgh venue.
Ruaraidh McBain, a classical singer who grew up in Inverkip but spent most of his time in Greenock, has been a member of the National Youth Choir of Scotland (NYCoS) since he was 11 years old.
NYCoS currently on a national tour which will conclude with the gala at the Usher Hall, on September 13.
Ruaraidh credits his musical experiences in Inverclyde, including working with Clydeview Academy's principal of music Alan Beck, with giving him a great head start in the arts.
He said: "I feel that I have had some of my best musical experiences in Inverclyde, with Inverclyde Voices, the Inverclyde Senior and Junior Choirs and the Greenock Philharmonic.
"I wouldn't be in music, I wouldn't be in the RCS [Royal Conservatoire of Scotland] just now, studying with some incredible teachers, if I hadn't first been picked up by the shows that Alan Beck used to do for every single primary five.
“I was in the Let the Games Begin production and really enjoyed being in it, and I was picked up by the singing teacher who was in Inverclyde Primary at the time, Alison McNeil.
“Alison taught me from P5 right through to S6 and, when it came to going for auditions in London, in Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Glasgow for music schools, I wouldn't be have been able to do them if it wasn't for Alison.”
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NYCoS will mark its 30th anniversary with a national tour and gala concert featuring Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.
Performances have taken place at Paisley Town Hall on August 21, Aberdeen Music Hall on August 22, Perth Concert Hall on August 23, and will conclude with the gala concert on September 13.
Ruaraidh, a baritone, will perform a solo during the tour, and said it’s a ‘wonderful set of music’.
The anniversary tour brings together the National Youth Choir of Scotland with regional choirs from across the country.
They will perform Carmina Burana, best known for O Fortuna, which people may recognise from films such as Excalibur and The Doors.
The anniversary tour holds extra meaning for NYCoS, as Carmina Burana was the first major work the choir performed 30 years ago.
The programme will also include a newly commissioned piece titled The World by Jay Caparald, alongside Jonathan Dove’s The Passing of the Year.
Ruaraidh said the performances will have broad appeal, even for those unfamiliar with choral music.
He added: "I think it would blow their socks off.
"You don't need to be a singer; you don't need to go to choir to just be in that audience and feel it.
“It’s got a force and it's got that power that music holds, you don't need to know that much to get into it.”
Now in his fourth year at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Ruaraidh is studying vocal performance and has worked with a range of choirs and musical groups across the country.
He has also begun teacher training with NYCoS and hopes to one day give back to the next generation of young musicians.
He said: "I would love to be a music teacher.
“I'd love to be able to go back and give a lot of the experience that I have back to young people.
"I'd love to be able to different music outreach programmes reach people, especially in areas like Inverclyde where the opportunities are not as readily available as they are in say Glasgow and Edinburgh."
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