Czech tour for music group

This year saw the return of the Music Society's Easter tour, which this year took them to Prague for a week of performing and sightseeing.

During the trip, the group performed at St Nicholas Church in the centre of Prague, and also at mass at St Vitus Cathedral. "It was already a great honour for us to be allowed to sing there but with the death of the Pope the service became even more important, with the head of the Catholic Church in the Czech Republic taking the service," said Music Organiser Graeme Stevenson.

The music group has recently benefited from a generous donation from the University's Annual Fund, which enabled them to invest in a number of new instruments. "The majority of the money was spent on purchasing two wind instruments: a bassoon and a bass clarinet," said Graeme. "Both these instruments were used to great effect at the last music society concert. We also managed to buy some percussion instruments which have always been sadly lacking from our inventory."

Earlier this year the Music Society received a two-manual harpsichord that had been built by Graeme's grandfather, the late David Murray, and which was donated by his family.

The instrument is currently being restored by Derek Giles MBE who was instrumental technician at Aberdeen University for many years and had spent a lot of time with Mr Murray renovating and building keyboard instruments.