Royal Scottish Academy gets Blackadder Houston bequest

THE Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) has received a donation worth more than £7 million from the estate of Dame Elizabeth Blackadder. The artist, who died last year, left the money to the arts charity to create the RSA Blackadder Houston Bequest. The money will help more than 60 artists and architects in Scotland each year.…

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Second TV series for Pettycur Bay Holiday Park

VISITORS and staff from Pettycur Bay Holiday Park at Kinghorn in Fife will be starring on the gogglebox again next month. A second series of Life on the Bay will be shown on the BBC Scotland channel on 8 January. The eight-part series, which was made by Red Sky Productions, will also be streamed on…

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St Andrew’s Day marked by kirk bells CD launch

PERTH marked St Andrew’s Day with the launch of a CD of carols featuring St John’s Kirk’s “carillon”, an instrument that controls ringing bells. St John’s Kirk in Perth has 63 bells, the largest collection in the UK. Eight were cast before the Reformation, including Perth’s oldest bell – the “Ave Maria” – which was…

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Tilda Swinton gets film archive award

NAIRN’S favourite actress, Tilda Swinton, has received the International Federation of Film Archives’ (FIAF’s) annual award. The actress – famous for starring in films including Michael Clayton, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Marvel’s Doctor Strange – was presented with the prize last night at the National Library of…

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The Commitments bring soul to the Edinburgh Playhouse

Morag Bootland just can’t get enough of that sweet soul music. WELL, if Dublin has soul then there’s no doubt that Edinburgh does too. The Commitments rolled into the Edinburgh Playhouse last night and I was literally blown away by the energy that this show exudes. The soundtrack was always going to be a winner.…

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Scottish Opera names 60th emerging artist

SCOTTISH Opera is marking its 60th anniversary by appointing its 60th emerging artist. The opera company’s emerging artists perform on stage, as well as working in-house with staff and visiting coaches to develop their skills. The programme began in 2009 and has since expanded to include behind-the-scenes roles in addition to opera singers. This year’s…

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Edinburgh’s Hogmanay unveils First Footin’ music gigs

SINGER Callum Beattie is among the performers who’s signed up for “First Footin’”, a new series of gigs unveiled as part of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay. “First Footin’” will feature an afternoon of free live music and performances taking place across the Old Town and New Town in pubs and other venues. Beattie said: “I can’t wait…

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Scottish Fiddle Orchestra eyes Usher Hall Hogmanay

THE Scottish Fiddle Orchestra will return to Edinburgh’s Usher Hall on 30 December for its “Hogmanay Celebration”. Gary Innes, presenter of BBC Radio Scotland’s Take The Floor, will be the evening’s compere – and might bring his accordion. Blair Parham will conduct the orchestra, which has been promoting traditional Scottish music for more than 40…

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REVIEW: “Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of)”

Kenny Smith sort of reviews Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) in Glasgow. I NEVER could nor would claim to be an expert on the works of Jane Austen. To the best of my knowledge, I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice, although I do recall seeing short excerpts in television adaptations, but I do know the…

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Lights! Camera! Winton!

WINTON Castle in East Lothian has hosted its first film shoot. Heehaw, an Edinburgh-based production company, spent two weeks filming at the castle. The as-yet untitled film is due to be released next year. It wasn’t Heehaw’s first visit to the castle though – its team enjoyed its second post-lockdown staff party there over the…

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