Castle ballroom piano recital in memory of Douglas

​‘One piano, four hands’ will be performed by Mary Kennedy and Emily Walker and include pieces by Mozart, Brahms and Debussy. The programme is broadly classical with a touch of folk and all the pieces are inspired by Douglas’s deep love of music.

Mary, who hails from Lower Sandwick near Stornoway, was taught music by Douglas at the Nicolson Institute in the 1980s and said the recital is “in memory of a dear teacher that meant a lot to so many young musicians on the island”.

Deciding where to hold the venue – and which piano to play – took some legwork, though.

Mary’s search for a suitable place for the recital took her first of all to the Nicolson Institute, then to St Columba’s and Martin’s Memorial churches and An Lanntair, before her cousin, optician Robert Doig, suggested trying the castle piano.

Mary said: “First of all, the setting is spectacular. I hadn’t been in the ballroom since the place was refurbished and my first impression was, ‘wow - this is absolutely stunning’. Then I tried the piano and I thought, ‘wow - what a lovely piano!’ It’s an old Steinway Grand and it’s in good condition.”

Although she had solved her main problem in finding a piano and a venue – for a ‘greatly discounted fee’ as it is a charity recital - Mary had a second problem in that the piano was slightly out of tune. However, to her great delight, it turned out that a piano tuner was due in Lewis in early September - and Mary arranged for him to tune the castle piano two days before the recital.

Mary said: “Both Emily and I are very much looking forward to playing the beautiful Steinway grand piano in the stunning location of the Lews Castle ballroom.”

Mary, a surveyor, and Emily, an administrator, are both keen and talented amateur musicians who play the organ at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Haddington, East Lothian.

Remembering her former teacher, Mary said: “Douglas was a very unassuming person and he was unflappable and he was kind and he was solid. If you were in a concert with Douglas, and he was conducting or leading, you knew it was fine.

“He was such a good musician and totally reliable. He always knew what was the right music.”

Mary added: “He always had a nice word to say about your attempts at playing. He understood the value of saying something nice to somebody. He was very, very encouraging and supportive of all his pupils and that’s, I think, why a lot of people did so well at whatever level they were.”

Mary’s own musical journey began at the age of eight with piano tuition from an aunt and then Alma Jamieson, before she went to the Nicolson. She continued to learn piano with Bob Scott and took up a second instrument, the flute, with Douglas as her teacher. Mary also studied Higher Music at an earlier stage than was usual and would go on to study Music at York University, on the advice of Douglas, after qualifying as a surveyor.

Douglas was a great influence on the young musician in a number of ways and Mary remembered, during her tour of the town’s pianos this summer, his generosity when she stood in for him as the organist at St Columba’s. “I remember when I was first playing the organ. I went to St Columba’s, that was our church, and sometimes in the school holidays Douglas would ask me to fill in. I was a teenager, about 15, and he made a point of making sure that I was paid for that. Some people would have thought, ‘oh it’s good experience for the teenager’ but he made sure I was paid.”

Saturday’s recital is in aid of the Eilean Siar Foodbank and Christian Aid. Donations are suggested at £10, or whatever you can afford or wish to donate, and refreshments will be available after.

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