Music
Aboyne Highland Games stages online piping contest
THREE of the piping competitions held by Aboyne Highland Games will shift online this summer. The open competitions for the piobaireachd, march, and strathspey and reel categories will be held virtually on 1 August. Two-thirds of the 32 competitors come from the UK, with the remainder from North America. Recordings of their performances will be…
Read MoreHalfway stage for Gaelic music project
MORE than 40,000 people have accessed resources about Gaelic songs connected to coasts and waters on Facebook and Youtube as the Cladaichean is Uisgeachan project reaches its halfway point. Arts organisation Fèisean nan Gàidheal is putting together a collection of 52 songs to mark Scotland’s “Year of Coasts & Waters“. As well as new recordings,…
Read MoreAlexander McCall Smith song raises cash for Covid research
WORDS by Alexander McCall Smith have been set to music to raise money for the University of Oxford’s research into coronavirus treatments. Hand of Hope was arranged by Piers Schmidt and Nigel Short, founder of the Tenebrae choir, members of which recorded their contributions remotely during lockdown. The lyrics were set to Gustav Holt’s tune…
Read MoreTrailer lands for Scottish Opera’s fishy tale
SCOTTISH Opera will next week unveil its latest work online – and it’s released a trailer to whet your appetite. The Narcissistic Fish is set in the kitchen of a seafood restaurant in Leith. The 12-minute film is a collaboration between Scottish Opera composer in residence Samuel Bordoli, The Panopticon author Jenni Fagan and the company’s…
Read MoreKevin McKidd ‘gets the band back together’ for charity
TELEVISION hunk Kevin McKidd’s Speyisde Sessions Band of musicians and singers has recorded a single during the lockdown to raise cash for two charities. Money from the sale of Leave A Light On is going to The Trussell Trust food bank operator and Help Musicians UK. The Grey’s Anatomy star duetted on the track with Northern…
Read MoreJazz star Fergus McCreadie kicks off Conservatoire lunchtime concerts
RISING jazz star Fergus McCreadie will perform at today’s maiden lunchtime online concert organised by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) and Scotland House, the Scottish Government’s centre in London. McCreadie will begin his concert at 1pm on the YouTube channel run by the Glasgow-based RCS, formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama…
Read MoreRecord your version of Auld Lang Syne for Make Music Day
BUDDING musicians have until 5pm on Friday to record their version of Auld Lang Syne and submit it to a massive online project. Videos of the public’s recordings will be made into a collage that will be broadcast on Make Music Day on 21 June. Make Music Day UK has commissioned composer Hamish Napier and…
Read MoreFiona Kennedy releases ‘remembering’ EP
SINGER Fiona Kennedy drew on inspiration from Robert Burns, the Highland clearances, and the death of family friend for her latest extended play (EP), The Maple Tree (I’ll Remember You). The EP was produced by award-winning musician Calum MacColl, one of Kennedy’s friends and long-time collaborator. Kennedy said: “The theme of the EP is ‘remembering’ –…
Read MoreNicola Benedetti prepares 7,000 musicians for online concert
VIOLINIST Nicola Benedetti is preparing for a busy weekend as the first “Virtual Benedetti Session” reach crescendo. More than 7,000 budding musicians in 66 countries have taken part in online tutorials and workshops over the past three weeks, which will culminate in a performance at 4pm on Sunday via YouTube. Pieces scheduled for the concert…
Read MoreVinyl revival continues for Scottish record retailer
SCOTS have turned to their turntables for solace during lockdown, according to the owner of a Scottish record label and retail chain. Assai Records boss Keith Ingram has shops in Dundee and Edinburgh, and has tuned in to a “significant” rise in online sales through Amazon marketplace since movement restrictions were introduced in March. Ingram’s…
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