Category Archives: Music

The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra unites Orient with Occident and a 2000-year-old musical tradition with contemporary improvisation in World of the Gods, which tours to Greenock, Perth and Edinburgh in late May. Composed by SNJO artistic director Tommy Smith and incorporating traditional Japanese melodies, World of the Gods was first performed in 2010 and bringsContinue reading “World of the Gods Unites East and West, Ancient and Modern”

After an online competition that attracted entries from across the country, East Lothian Council Instrumental Music Service Senior String Ensemble have been announced as the 2023 winners of Scottish Young Musicians Ensemble of the Year, which for the first time was open to ensembles playing any genre or grouping of instruments.   Ensemble of the Year was openContinue reading “Scottish Young Musicians Ensemble and Brass Ensemble Winners Revealed”

FESTIVAL DATES: Friday 28 April – Monday 8 May 2023 Over the 11 days of the Festival, hundreds of artists and musicians will perform, including American folk singer, two-time winner, and six-time Grammy nominee Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi, who will kick off the festival at the Assembly Rooms on Friday 28 April supported by special guests Roo Geddes & Neil Sutcliffe. OverContinue reading “Edinburgh Tradfest – This Year Looking Better Than Ever!”

After 3 years of waiting, Northern Streams Festival will be celebrating Nordic & Scottish Music, Song & Dance fully in person again, in Edinburgh & Dundee. Taking place 27-30 April, the 2023 festival features as its guests: Fromseier & Hockings – (Ditte & Sigurd) a Danish Folk Award winning fiddle/guitar/voice duo from Denmark with songsContinue reading “Scottish-Nordic Festival Returns This Month”

Internationally acclaimed pianist and composer Gwilym Simcock joins the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra on a four-date Scottish tour from 27th to 30th April. A classically trained musician who has performed at the highest level in both jazz and classical music, Welsh-born Simcock was the first musician from a jazz background to be awarded the prestigious BBC NewContinue reading ““Creative Genius” Simcock Composes Himself for Orchestral Manoeuvres”

Scottish Opera (SO) has announced a new project entitled The Elixir of Love: Three Ways to Stage an Opera, an enterprise aimed at pupils in the third year of secondary education, and focusing on the expressive arts curriculum including Music, Art & Design, and Drama. These lessons are based around the 19th century Italian composerContinue reading “Scottish Opera Launches Schools Project Based on Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love”

As part of an ongoing collaboration between Live Music Now Scotland, the organisation that gives emerging artists the opportunity of performing at the start of their careers, and the Isle of Skye’s only established chamber music society, Skye Chamber Music, harpist Sophie Rocks will take up the first in a series of creative practice residencies.Continue reading “Skye Residency for Young Harpist Announced Thanks to Collaboration”

Lammermuir Festival and McOpera have come together once again to create a new opera for the East Lothian community with Catriona and the Dragon. Building on the successes of their previous community operas, Britten’s Noye’s Fludde in 2016 and An Cadal Trom by Matthew Rooke in 2018, Lammermuir Festival and McOpera will work with school-agedContinue reading “Lammermuir Festival and McOpera create New Opera for East Lothian”

This March 11th, world-renowned Scot Sir David McVicar returns to Scottish Opera (SO), to direct of Il trittico (The Triptych)  – a new co-production with Welsh National Opera of Puccini’s Il tabarro (The Cloak), Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica) and Gianni Schicchi. Only one complete performance of Il trittico has taken place in Scotland and thatContinue reading “Sir David McVicar Returns to Scottish Opera to Direct Puccini’s Il Trittico”

The weekend of February 24th 2023, sees the anniversary of the war in Ukraine, and Edinburgh will host events to show its solidarity. These will culminate on February 26th at the Usher Hall with a special, one-night-only event, a tribute concert produced by Matthew Zajac and AUGB (Associations of Ukrainians in Great Britain) Edinburgh withContinue reading “Artists Announced for Special Tribute Concert Salute Ukraine at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall”