Talented young performers from across North Lanarkshire took to the stage at St Bernadette’s Primary School for this year’s North Lanarkshire Scottish Young Musician (SYM) event, putting on an impressive evening of music.
Pupils performed across a wide range of disciplines, including singing, traditional instruments, Scots piping, piano, woodwind and tuned percussion. Each performance was well received by the audience and showed the hard work and commitment of the young musicians.
Judges commented on the high standard throughout the competition, noting it was easier to choose the winners than decide on the runners-up because so many performances were so closely matched.
This year also saw the introduction of a new Junior SYM award for pupils from Primary 6 to Secondary 2. The category was well received, with younger performers showing confidence on stage. Two P6 and P7 pupils stood out with performances on saxophone and piano and said they are already looking forward to taking part again next year.
In the Junior competition, Niamh Logan, S2 at St Ambrose High School, won with a vocal performance. Bernardo Nunes, P7 at St Athanasius Primary School, was named runner-up performing on piano.
In the Senior competition, Ava Dean, S5 at Brannock High School, won with her clarinet performance. Ava will now represent North Lanarkshire at the national SYM final at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in May 2026, competing against pupils from across Scotland.
The Senior runners-up were Zaynah Saleem, S3 at Our Lady’s High School, Motherwell, performing on piano, and Amy Brown, S5 at Chryston High School, performing on alto saxophone.
Councillor Michael McBride, Convener of Education, Children and Families, said: “The Scottish Young Musician event is a great way to showcase the talent we have across North Lanarkshire. The standard this year was very high, and it’s clear how much effort and commitment each young person has put into their music.
“It’s also good to see the new Junior category giving younger pupils the chance to take part and build their confidence. Congratulations to everyone who performed, and especially to our winners and runners-up. I wish Ava all the best as she goes on to represent North Lanarkshire at the national final.”