Classical Music, Musicians, Composers, Singers...

Since the early eighties there has been an excellent choir in Acharacle, a small village at the South End of Loch Shiel 50 miles from Fort William in the West of Scotland.

In the 90's they were joined by the professional Tenor and composer, Patrick Stephen-Samuels, who had moved to the area and soon became choirmaster. The Loch Shiel Singers, as the choir is called, were soon undertaking much more ambitious work, and at the start of 1997 Patrick suggested the festival.

He had the contacts for the musicians, had performed solo widely in this country and abroad and the choir was good and had a repertoire which was good enough to produce a concert. So the Festival started, with six concerts, two of which were performed by the Choir, augmented and renamed for the occasion as the Loch Shiel Festival Choir. A closing night of songs from the life of John McCormack, the famous Irish Tenor of the early 1900's, was performed by Patrick.

The first shows were very well received and each year since we have been able to put on more concerts with bigger ensembles, and more professional players, encompassing many of the best loved and most popular classical pieces.