Here to stay that was the message from Glamis Castle as its administrator digested the successful weekend return of the Grand Scottish Prom and immediately set his sights on a 2012 weekend aimed at having even broader appeal to visitors from across the country.
After a break last year due to problems in staging the long-running event, a crowd of around 4000 savoured Saturday’s Royal Scottish National Orchestra fare, served up under beautiful Angus summer skies.
Castle administrator David Broadfoot said he was “staggered” by the atmosphere surrounding his first taste of the Courier-sponsored event and delighted to see how much its return was appreciated by fans.
“Walking through the crowd and speaking to people it became very clear that for many people the prom is a major event on their summer calendar and I can tell them that it is here to stay,” he said.
“The weather was a huge part of the success of the night, but the RSNO was phenomenal, the soloist Giordano Luca is a young man who is definitely going places and the staff we have here at Glamis were terrific.
“We have learned a great deal from the weekend and will use those lessons next year, but we are definitely looking at making things bigger and better.”
Mr Broadfoot added, “The production team was fantastic and we will use them again, it is as simple as that.
“I am also very clear that if we are going to do something with a stage of that scale it does not make sense to put it up for one night so next year we are looking at something for the younger crowd, perhaps a good Scottish band like a Runrig or Capercaillie.
“The prom will stay on Saturday night that’s important but I think we will be working towards staging something else on the Friday night to help broaden the enjoyment for the whole community.”‘Tremendous evening’One other change may be a move back towards the more traditional prom date in August after a clash with the inaugural Rewind Festival at Scone Palace.
The attractions will try to avoid another doubling up and, with the prospect of a band aimed at a younger crowd joining the weekend Glamis programme, it seems local music fans may have plenty to look forward to next summer.
Mr Broadfoot said, “The dates were set before I arrived here, but we will avoid that happening again and perhaps that will mean that people will be able to enjoy the events at both venues.
“We at Glamis have a huge role to play in Angus and we must play that role as well as we can.”
Proms event director Tony Walton also praised the crowd and castle staff in the wake of his firm’s Glamis debut.
“It was an absolutely tremendous evening. The crowd assured us that the sound was the best there had ever been they could hear every note,” he said.
“We also had a mammoth stage and that paid dividends in helping project the view right to the back of the crowd.”
He added, “The music was wonderful and the whole evening was blessed with lovely weather so we could not have asked for more.
“The Glamis team are super to work with and the comments we got back from the castle were excellent.”
Photo David Hoskins.