This summer, the annual arena dance will vary its usual pattern to profile 100 years of music in Inverness.

Cameron MacQuarrie, chair of the Arena Commission, explains that a committee is in the early stages of preparing a special presentation on the Saturday of the Inverness Gathering.

"It will be more than just a dance. We usually try to feature a local band, but this year we are going to do something different."

That something different is titled Inverness Music 100, and will be a three-hour concert presentation of music as it has been played over the century. Beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the arena, the musicians will be assembled for a concert prior to the dance.

"What we hope to achieve by assembling as many musicians as we can who have performed in the local area is show what has happened in music," MacQuarrie says. Over the years, Inverness has had traditional Celtic performers, swing bands, country bands, rock bands and other groups.

The committee, comprised of MacQuarrie, Robbie Maclver and Neil Campbell, are not expecting to feature individual bands from the past so much as they hope to feature the musicians. Many of them have played in so many groups that the original bands will take shape on the stage as the evening of music evolves.

The first part of the evening will feature traditional Celtic music, choral groups, instrumentalists, pipers, and dancers.

"The idea is that the concert is neither rock nor traditional. What we have this year is an occasion to celebrate, and we hope a lot of stories and groups can be brought alive. And we hope to put it in context, costumes, etc. There will be a bit of theatrics to the evening."

In addition, the Inverness Music 100 committee is collecting memorabilia, posters, recordings, items that can be used for displays. Anything loaned to the committee will be reproduced and returned.

The Inverness Music 100 concert is in the early stages of development, and people with an interest, musicians who have played, for example, or people with items to loan, are asked to; contact the committee by phoning Cameron MacQuarrie at 902 - 258 - 2961, or emailing: [email protected]