Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival welcomes back the UK’s leading string orchestra, the Scottish Ensemble, for an exciting and varied four-day residency.
Scottish Ensemble residencies have created a series of events and opportunities for lovers of fine music.
From Wednesday, 25 May to Saturday, 28 May, the Scottish Ensemble will be out and about, making music with local people. Events include a decadent tea dance; a concert with Stranraer’s award-winning singer, Robyn Stapleton; a grand concert in Dumfries, plus workshops, masterclasses, sessions and intimate concerts.
Kicking-off the project on 25 May is a good, old-fashioned afternoon tea dance at the Usual Place, Dumfries. Here the ensemble will perform palm court favourites while participants will take their partners or simply come to watch and enjoy some wonderful refreshments.
Since being awarded BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2014, Robyn Stapleton has quickly become one of Scotland’s leading folk singers. She performs the traditional songs of her Scottish and Irish heritage, in the Scots, English and Gaelic language and is described as having one of the finest voices in Scottish music, with a uniquely pure tone, wonderful control and an empathy and sensitivity for traditional song.
For her concert with the Scottish Ensemble, multi-instrumentalist Mike Vass and pianist Alistair Paterson, Robyn will be performing a selection of folk songs, including those from the collection of Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe which have been specially arranged by the Scottish Ensemble. The event takes place on 26 May in Newton Stewart’s McMillan Hall.
On 27 May, Scotland’s oldest working theatre will be the venue for a concert of expressive and exotic works by Debussy and Ravel. En Rêve is a dynamic and energetic concert of turn-of-the-century French music and takes place at the Theatre Royal, Dumfries, at 7.30pm.
In between times, the ensemble will be out and about giving intimate concerts at care homes and day centres as well as performances and workshops at schools.
Opportunities for young people are also very much at the forefront of this year’s residency and on Saturday, 28 May, the musicians will be collaborating with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Music Works who will be holding music sessions with young people at Dumfries Academy ending in a performance by the older participants at the town’s Plainstanes.
Also on the day, some of the musicians will be popping-up at Thomas Tosh in Thornhill, Alex Rigg’s Oceanallover Spring Fling workshop at Auchenstroan, Moniaive, and Vaughan Trower’s violin workshop, also in Moniaive.
Festival chair, Ken Gouge, said: I am thrilled that we have the UK’s leading string orchestra back with us again.
“In particular, much of their work will be with young people and the festival will be providing opportunities for young people across the region to work with this internationally renowned ensemble.
“This year we are providing a wider access to performing arts to people of all ages and with a diversity of tastes and have made sure the festival provides something for everyone.”
Festival programme director, Peter Renwick, said: “This is a brilliant project for the Festival to be involved in and it is great to be able to bring this highly acclaimed music organisation to Dumfries and Galloway ion a regular basis.”
“This year’s visit is part of a three-year project for the festival and marks the start of a long-term relationship between the Scottish Ensemble and the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival.
“We are delighted to be supporting innovative collaborations and, in particular, the Scottish Ensemble and Robyn Stapleton will be developing new arrangements for work based on the collections of Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe.
“This residency involves a wonderful and varied programme of thought-provoking pop-up performances in interesting places as well as the grandeur of the big concert.
“We are looking forward very much to their visit.”
Tickets from the Midsteeple, Dumfries, 01387 253383.
Further information from www.dgartsfestival.org.uk
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