Inverness performing arts pupil accepted at prestigious London Bird College

A young Inverness talent is set to move to London to follow her dream career after being accepted by a prestigious performing arts college.

TFX Performing Arts Academy pupil Amy Beattie (17) is set to start a new chapter when she joins Bird College, one of the UK's leading conservatoires for dance and musical theatre training.

Having joined TFX aged 13 years ago, the Millburn Academy pupil was also accepted at three other colleges - Italia Conti, Emil Dale and Performers near London, for which she auditioned at the end of 2024.

“I am so happy about it,” she said of securing the place at her chosen school

“It was a really hard choice trying to pick, but I am just really grateful because I did get a lot of help.”

She will study musical theatre and professional dancing, being told she was successful just the day after her audition.

She said: “Their dancing is really strong, which I'm excited for, and they're quite prestigious and they've got a really good reputation.

“It’s a school that I've always wanted to go to.”

Leaving TFX is emotioanl for here.

“I feel like don't know anything else really,” she said.

“It will be sad to leave, but I'm excited at what is coming next.”

Amy was among the winners of TFX scholarships offered by the school in partnership with The Inverness Courier - securing a year of free classes in musical theatre which she said has helped boost her confidence.

She said: “Musical theatre has been such a good help because the way that we dissect musicals, and the training that we get, is very similar to the auditions I did, and also it’s similar to what I'm going to be doing down there - it's kind of prepared me for it.”

Her family members are really excited too, she shared.

“They've been so supportive throughout the whole thing,” she said.

“I mean they are nervous, obviously, but they are really excited for me, it’s good that I have that support behind me.

“TFX has been so important for me. It has given me so many foundations that I needed to go away, so many things that helped me get through my auditions, working through monologues, working through songs…it has given me a step up.”

Her dream path leads eventually to the West End.

“I would just love to do any West End show. I would say Hamilton's my top. Anything Andrew Lloyd-Webber is a rite of passage!”

Amy Crook, head of drama and creative assistant at TFX, said: “Every year we have got kids that go off and get into colleges, and we are so proud of them.

“The way that Amy has conducted herself auditioning for really high-profile schools and achieving acceptance, I think it just goes to show how hard she works.

“We're just so proud of her.

“It's hard, because we have to hand her over to Bird now and say, this precious little thing that we have looked after for so long, she's yours now. But we hope she’ll be back, maybe teaching - once a TFXer, always a TFXer!

“But she’s going to do amazing things, she is one to watch.”

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