Biography

Alexandra 'Alma' Jamieson (née Kerr) was from Stornoway, with family roots extending to Harris through her father and to Carloway on her mother's side.

In 1958, at just seventeen years old and while studying at Jordanhill College, Alma won the Gold Medal at the Royal National Mòd in Glasgow – an exceptional achievement made all the more remarkable by the fact that it was her first time competing.

She later performed with the Shetland fiddle player Alan Jamieson, whom she met at a cèilidh. Their musical partnership soon became a personal one, and the couple married in 1964. They went on to have two sons, Douglas and Rodney.

Alma devoted many years to teaching music in schools across Lewis, nurturing young singers and fostering a love of Gaelic song. She was deeply involved with the Stornoway Gaelic Choir and later the Laxdale Choir, and she played a significant role in guiding and supporting numerous Lewis singers who went on to win the Gold Medal at the Mòd.