Music
Scottish Pipe Band Championships hit high note
ORGANISERS hailed Saturday’s Scottish Pipe Band Championships at Levengrove Park in Dumbarton as the “best ever” Some 20,000 spectators flocked for the first staging of the event since the pandemic began. A total of 117 bands gathered for the championships, with pipers travelling from as far away as Australia and Texas. Field Marshal Montgomery from…
Read MoreAberdeen enters Eurovision race
ABERDEEN City Council has thrown the Granite City’s hat into the ring to host next year’s Eurovision song contest. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) today announced that the UK would host the competition on behalf of Ukraine. As this year’s winner, Ukraine would normally host next year’s contest. But Russia’s ongoing invasion means the EBU…
Read MoreScottish Pipe Band Championships head to Dumbarton
LOCAL pipers Rowan Murdoch and Beth Turner will be hoping for strong home support when the Scottish Pipe Band Championships begin in Dumbarton on Saturday. More than 100 pipe bands will play for 25,000 visitors at one of the biggest free bagpipe competitions in the world. Rowan, 19, who will compete in the drum majors…
Read MoreBlas Festival line-up unveiled
THE line-up for this year’s Blas Festival has been revealed, featuring 40 concerts and ceilidhs across the Highlands and islands. Julie Fowlis, Mary Ann Kennedy, and Megan Henderson are among the artists who will be taking to the stages on 2-10 September. The festival opens with a new musical commission, The Summer Walkers, by Tain…
Read MoreMiss Scotland’s Ciara Harvie singing in Edinburgh
MISS Scotland finalist Ciara Harvie is singing in Edinburgh’s St Andrew Square this weekend to raise money for Smith-Magenis Syndrome Foundation UK. The 23-year-old classical-crossover singer, who appeared on television series The Voice, will perform in the square from 1pm on Saturday and Sunday. “Music completely changed my life, and this is the reason why I…
Read MoreEmma Thompson and Tilda Swinton share ‘soil stories’
ACTRESSES Emma Thompson and Tilda Swinton are among the well-kent voices that have recorded stories, poems, and songs for a new outdoor exhibition at Scotland’s four royal botanic gardens. “Of Scotland’s Soils and Soul” – which opens today in Benmore, Dawyck, Edinburgh, and Logan – shares 100 stories next to the plants that inspired them.…
Read MoreYoung pipers serenade Ukraine’s football team
THE National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland welcomed the Ukrainian national side to Glasgow this morning ahead of tonight’s World Cup qualifier at Hampden. The young pipers played the Ukrainian national anthem at Kelvingrove art gallery and museum to welcome the team and its supporters to Glasgow. Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former spin doctor, came…
Read MoreRoyal Conservatoire of Scotland fuses hip-hop with classical
MOZART, Bach, and Beethoven are getting a hip-hop makeover as the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland teams up with the Ensemble Mik Nawooj. They’ve come together to create “The Hip-Hop Orchestra Experience”, which will makes its in-person debut at this summer’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Rapper Young Reshaud and turf dancer Yung Phil will perform on stage…
Read MoreJuliet Robertson is top young soloist
PIANIST Juliet Robertson has won the inaugural “Scottish Young Musicians’ solo performer of the year” title. Juliet, 14, from Stirlingshire, won the competition in Glasgow yesterday by playing Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy. She received £1,000 to spend on furthering her musical career and the “Maid of Morven” trophy, which was made by the…
Read MoreScottish musicians prepare for busy summer
A RAFT of Scottish musicians are getting ready for a busy summer of song with a flurry of new releases. Fort William singer-songwriter Keir Gibson unveils his new single, Nothing Alike, tomorrow. Gibson has been tipped as “Scotland’s next big breakthrough talent” and performed to a 5,000-strong audience at Edinburgh’s famous Hogmanay street party. His…
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