The audience listened in awe as piano students of varying ages bravely and beautifully played their selected pieces on the grand piano which takes pride of place in the entrance hall of Castle Coole.

This was the third student recital hosted at the National Trust property, which featured performances from students of local piano teacher Jonathan Beatty.

The first recital took place during the 2018 Christmas season; followed by an end of year Summer concert. The most recent event took place last month in the lead up to Christmas (December 21).

For some of Jonathan’s students, this was their third performance in a recital at Castle Coole, for others their second opportunity to build confidence performing for a crowd and for a small number this was their first experience of showcasing their musical talents in front of a supportive and encouraging audience.

“It has been great to witness the increasing confidence of students who have been performing at these recitals - a great encouragement to their peers and to other students who are only beginning to perform in front of others,” said Jonathan.

“I thoroughly enjoy listening to all my students perform, from the beginner to the advanced,” he added. Noting that there were “many moments” that he could highlight from the recital, Jonathan shared: “One example is of a performance by Luca Whittaker. He is currently in P7 at the Model Primary School and studying grade four on the piano.”

He continued: “A week prior to the recital we had been working on a romantic-style piece he had chosen to perform – ‘When rivers flowed on Mars’ by Nancy Telfer. As he was fully confident with notes and rhythm, I introduced the technique of ‘Rubato’. This is the temporary disregarding of a strict tempo to allow an expressive quickening and slackening, usually without upsetting the overall pace – the pushing and pulling of the pulse to deliver emotive phrasing.”

“I was unaware that Luca was then going to spend the entire week mastering this technique and, to my delight, presented a beautiful and expressive performance at the recital,” he added.

Jonathan commented that he is “very grateful” to the National Trust for the use of Castle Coole’s beautiful entrance hall as a venue for these student recitals, to Lord Belmore for the use of his grand piano, and to Robin and all the volunteers who helped organise and make the day run successfully.

“Castle Coole and its surroundings provide an ideal environment, making the day more special for my students,” he added.

After a short interval, Jonathan welcomed local performers from Fermanagh Musical Theatre and Enniskillen Light Opera, and musical duo ‘Laytha’ – formerly known as ‘Taobh Eile’. Taking to the piano himself, Jonathan accompanied a few solo, duet and ensemble performances. The concert concluded with an ‘a capella’ rendition of ‘Silent night’ and a duet of ‘Have yourself a merry little Christmas’ by Nadia Stenson and Aideen McNamara.