Tag: arts

Open letter urges: Save Lammermuir!

‘This festival cannot be allowed to disappear’

  • The Lammermuir Festival 2023 came to a close this week while urgently working to secure its future.
  • Nicola Benedetti and Sir James MacMillan add their support for Lammermuir Festival.
  • Open Letter to Creative Scotland signed by 362 musicians, composers, educationalists, politicians, participants, supporters, audience members and local businesses.

The Lammermuir Festival closed its 14th festival earlier this week, one of its most successful yet. The programme was met with great acclaim cited by some music critics as the best programme presented.

Audiences flocked with over 80% of tickets sold, over 30% of which were to new customers. Initial analysis indicates that a little over half of those audiences were local with the remaining travelling to East Lothian to enjoy one of the UK’s best loved classical music events.

This successful edition was set against the backdrop of the festival finding out just days before it opened that Creative Scotland was not supporting its 14th festival, having invested in the event for thirteen years.

Losing the cultural funder’s support this year leaves the festival in an urgent financial position, working hard to find a secure future.

Many of Scotland’s leading musicians have lent their support to the festival’s campaign, most recently Nicola Benedetti and Sir James MacMillan.

Nicola Benedetti said: “Being able to share the best, world-class music making with audiences not residing in our cities but in rural areas is a really important part of our nation’s cultural fabric.

“An aspect we must support and nurture. The Lammermuir Festival has done this brilliantly over the last 14 festivals creating acclaimed events that also enable young artists to develop in the industry, and engage young people in the region to give them deep and extraordinary experiences.

“It would be tragic for Scotland’s music scene if this festival wasn’t supported to continue this work which benefits so many.”

An Open Letter to Creative Scotland has been signed by 362 musicians, composers, education workers, participants, supporters, audience members and local businesses including Steven Obsorne, Andrea Baker, Sean Shibe, Stuart MacRae, Dinis Sousa, Ryan Corbett, Sue Baxendale, Craig Hoy MSP, Douglas Alexander, Martin Brabbins, Sian Edwards, Ruth Ellis, Monica Wilkinson and Alfonso Leal del Ojo.

James Waters, Chief Executive and Joint Artistic Director of the Lammermuir Festival said: “The support and affection for Lammermuir Festival that we have seen pouring in from musicians, education providers, local businesses, supporters and audiences across Scotland and beyond has been incredible.

“We have never been more proud of the festival and what it brings to so many and we will continue to do everything we can to secure its future.”

Letter from supporters of Lammermuir Festival

To Iain Munro, Chief Executive of Creative Scotland and its Chair, Robert Wilson,

We the undersigned appeal to you to save what one audience member has described as a ‘precious jewel of originality and joy’.

According to the panels judging Open Fund applications at Creative Scotland, Lammermuir Festival does not sufficiently align to your priorities.

This is despite having the full support of the Music Officers at Creative Scotland who approved its application and strongly recommended funding without conditions.

This is one of the most acclaimed classical music festivals in the UK, recipient of an RPS award, the highest accolade in its field, and giving work to 350 musicians a year, many of them Scottish. It has a proven record of achievement, appeals to ever-growing audiences and supports performers at all stages in their careers.

It is also a festival which returns £750,000 in economic benefits for East Lothian, on top of its social and cultural benefits, bringing visitors to a region which is underserved for arts, offering audiences international quality music performances and participation opportunities.

If the festival were to not exist, neither would its work with McOpera which engaged 1,700 children, young people and adults as participants and audience through their outreach strand over the last two years. This proved a formative part of so many young musicians’ lives in East Lothian.

This strand of the festival’s work reached out to multiple and diverse local community groups, nurturing children and young people from across 31 different schools, supporting the growth of an Instrumental Music Service and creative organisations (such as Dunbar Voices), bringing to the region international conductors and Scottish creatives, composers, singers and instrumentalists.

It has also regularly provided career placements to students from Edinburgh College, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh and Edinburgh Napier Universities, National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

This decision by Creative Scotland flies in the face of the expressions of support for culture in Scotland, and in particular for festivals, that the First Minister Humza Yousaf, Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy Neil Gray, and Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Angus Robertson have made in recent days.

The Open Fund process appears to have no strategic overview of provision, and no clear artistic, quality or geographic priorities.

Your process places huge pressure on organisations. Lammermuir Festival was invited to make multiple applications for the same activity with funding decisions taking their nerves to the wire – in this case Creative Scotland passed their verdict on a third application just 16 days before the festival started.

The system needs to change. As it stands it places Scotland’s cultural ecology on a downward trajectory.

Without Creative Scotland’s support the Lammermuir Festival’s future is under threat. Your decision not to fund the 2023 festival, destabilises the organisation and undermines the festival’s ability to plan for or run a festival in 2024 and beyond. In order to secure the future of this festival beyond 2023, urgent support is needed.

As musicians, educators, audience members, supporters, participants, businesses in East Lothian, and community leaders we are utterly appalled at your decision and urgently appeal to Creative Scotland to reverse it in order to save this cultural gem.

This festival cannot be allowed to disappear.

362 signatures which can be viewed on the Lammermuir Festival website: 

https://www.lammermuirfestival.co.uk/open-letter-from-supporters-of-lammermuir-festival-to-creative-scotland/

cc’d

First Minister Humza Yousaf

Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Angus Robertson

Minister of Culture Christina McKelvie

Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy Neil Gray

Edinburgh Multicultural Festival returns this month

Edinburgh Multicultural Festival, supported by the City of Edinburgh Council, will be held at Edinburgh College (Granton Campus) and Lauriston Castle on 30 September and 1 October 2023.

The programme features a diverse range of performers and visual artists telling their stories through creative writing and visual literacy workshops, artwork, poetry, storytelling, music, theatre, and dance.

There are also family activities, including arts and crafts, puppetry, living statues, reading sessions, and drumming workshops facilitated by Visual Literacy Matters and other artists. The festival truly has something for everyone.

This year’s musical acts include Los Chichanos, Mio Shudo, Motown Brothers, The Spinning Blowfish, Elaine Cheng, dance artists – Sam Vaherlehto and TuFlamenco as well as theatre makers – Catherine Bisset, Flavia D’Avila, Luntu Masiza and Olivier Van Den Hende.

The festival celebrates the cultural diversity of the Capital by bringing together local and international artists and creating experiences to be shared by all communities.

This year marks the 5th birthday of the festival, which has provided platforms, both on stages and digitally, for over 150 local and international artists of diverse backgrounds, and generated over 60k worldwide views since its inception.

All events are free but ticketed. For more information, please visit the Edinburgh Multicultural Festival website.

Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker said: “It’s fantastic to see the return of the Edinburgh Multicultural Festival later this month. I’m incredibly proud that we are supporting local artists of all backgrounds to get involved with a truly unique festival. We all want to see as many of our residents as possible expressing themselves and adding to Edinburgh’s already excellent cultural sector.  

“Edinburgh’s diversity is one of our greatest strengths and this festival is just one fantastic example of our outstanding year-round cultural offerings. I want to wish the best of luck to all the organisers, performers and participants and I’m sure that this fifth year of the festival will be a great success.”

Edinburgh Multicultural Festival Director, Morgan Njobo said: “We are grateful to the City of Edinburgh Council for their support, thanks to which we can create opportunities for local diverse artists to share their work and cultures. As a South African artist based in Edinburgh myself, I value how welcoming the city is to the international talent.

“The festival is a celebration of cultural diversity in Edinburgh that is representative of the increasingly more diverse population in the city. This year we feature local artists of African, Asian, Caribbean, European, and South American origin thus creating a world stage at your doorstep.

“The festival has gone from strength to strength since 2019 as we continue to attract more participation in the arts in Edinburgh. Partnering with Edinburgh College in Granton and Lauriston Castle in Cramond allows us to create unique cultural experiences for audiences and participants of all ages and backgrounds while appreciating the hidden gem locations in Edinburgh.

“Let’s enjoy being able to be back together and support diverse artists and creatives here in Scotland.”

Nicola Benedetti delivers successful first Edinburgh International Festival

The 2023 Edinburgh International Festival has ended on a high, after 24 packed days of events from 2,500 remarkable and diverse artists representing 50 nations.

The programme was characterised by a high quality of art, presenting work from 130 Grammy nominated artists, 33 Grammy Award-winners, 14 Brit Award-winners, 6 Olivier Award-winners and 3 Venice Golden Lions awards. Artists also attracted significant worldwide media attention and positive reviews, with two-thirds of International Festival performances receiving four and five-star reviews.

With an unprecedented emphasis on a deepened audience experience, the 2023 International Festival reimagined how we interact with and appreciate live performance, through audio introductions, contextual demonstrations and discussions before and during performances, and bringing audiences and artists closer together through more informal, intimate performance environments. 

Nicola Benedetti, Festival Director at Edinburgh International Festival said: ““I dreamt of a festival that felt truly open and welcoming, creating a shared ownership and pride over the future of our Festival and its profound contribution to Scotland’s culture and conversation. The response from artists and audiences has been resoundingly uplifting, filled with a tangible energy pulling us closer together.

“We asked, ‘where do we go from here?’ – and we heard from thousands of people, sharing different perspectives from around the world. Now, we are confident in forging our path and deepening next year’s conversation together.” 

In the 2023 International Festival 120,000 audience members found an in-depth and high-quality live experience across Edinburgh’s theatres, concert halls and venues. It was once again an unmissable destination for Edinburgh visitors looking to experience the highest quality arts and culture, with 13% of bookers being international, an increase of 3% on last year.

The International Festival also saw steady attendance from local audiences, with 69% of bookers coming from Scotland. 

As part of the vision to broaden audiences, over 21,000 tickets were discounted to people eligible for concessions, including D/deaf and disabled people, arts workers, students and audiences aged under 26.

Over 11,000 free tickets were issued, including over 500 tickets for NHS workers and 631 tickets through the Young Music Pass scheme, which gives free tickets to young people to experience the best classical music from around the world.

The £10 on the Day ticket, available to people eligible for concessions, saw a pick-up of over 4,000 tickets, a 46% increase on last year. 

The International Festival continued its year-round community engagement work during August, welcoming people of all ages and backgrounds to experience world-leading artists in locations across the city.

Culture Clubs returned to communities across Edinburgh, with intergenerational groups invited to enjoy a shared meal and attend a performance, including the first ever BSL Culture Club hosted by Deaf Action.

Pop-up performances brought music to audiences who otherwise might not have been able to attend, featuring the likes of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, award-winning bassist and composer Endea Owens, and the London Symphony Orchestra, who performed for around 1,000 patients, hospital staff and visitors in NHS settings. 

Thousands of people attended the Opening Fanfare weekend, an incredible feat of mass music-making, which assembled a diverse community of 500 amateur and professional musicians travelling from across Scotland to participate across two days in Princes Street Gardens.

The International Festival also reached more people than ever through digital channels, with content viewed 4.8 million times over the course of the 2023 Festival, an increase of 63% from 2022. In addition, 19 concerts were recorded live for broadcast on BBC Radio 3.  

The Hub – the International Festival’s home at the top of the Royal Mile – was reimagined as a ‘festival green room, open to all’. The Hub welcomed thousands of visitors and invited them to collectively respond to the central question: ‘where do we go from here?’

An expansive programme of free talks and debates, participatory events and intimate concerts from incredible musicians spanning Scottish traditional music, jazz and classical ensembles brought artists and audiences closer than ever before. 

An audience of 600 sat in beanbags surrounded by the Budapest Festival Orchestra – a format inviting audiences to experience both the music and the orchestra from the inside out, with conductor Ivan Fischer offering conversational explanations of Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony. 

30 audio introductions were recorded by Nicola Benedetti with broadcaster Tom Service and artists from across the programme who gave insight and more context into specific performances and experiences. These reached 25,000 people, who listened as they were delivered by text message two hours before a performance. Over 32,000 people read blog articles which added further context. 

To help audiences gain a greater appreciation of visiting companies and reduce the amount of travel required for international artists, high-profile artistic residencies included the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of departing conductor Sir Simon Rattle, the Budapest Festival Orchestra with Ivan Fischer, and the world-renowned Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela reunited with their Music Director Gustavo Dudamel. 

This year also saw a focus on opportunities for talent development and professional exchange. Twenty-two emerging dancers aged 18-25 from across Scotland had the chance of a lifetime to train with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and perform in Memoria at the Festival Theatre.

Five pre-professional musicians were also invited to join the Mendelssohn Octet at the Hub, in an audition judged by Festival Director Nicola Benedetti. Plus, twelve Scotland-based dancers participated in a week-long collaboration with international peers performing in Pina Bausch’s The Rite of Spring that brought together 34 dancers from 14 African countries. 

Francesca Hegyi, Chief Executive at Edinburgh International Festival, said: “August in Edinburgh is the time when the world’s spotlight turns to the Festival City, where residents can mix with their international counterparts and see artists they wouldn’t otherwise get the chance to.

“There has been a new warmth and spirit of inquiry to the Edinburgh International Festival this year and the feedback from audiences, artists and visitors has been nothing short of exceptional.” 

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson, said: “This was a bumper year for Edinburgh’s summer festivals, distinguished by a strong contribution from home grown talent, and increased access to events through an expanded programme of community activities.

“Edinburgh’s festivals underline how important culture is to our way of life as well as underlining Scotland’s reputation on the international stage. I’d like to thank everyone involved for putting on such a fantastic line-up of performances and events this year.” 

World’s Two Biggest Arts Festivals unite in Cultural and Knowledge Exchange agreement

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, the charity that supports the world’s largest performing arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and the biggest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere, Adelaide Fringe are coming together to form an arrangement that will see both organisations amplify one another’s efforts for the benefit of artists and the international arts community.

Each organisation’s respective CEO will sign a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) that outlines the details of the arrangement on August 11 during this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.  

The MOU came to fruition from a collective belief between the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society and Adelaide Fringe that organisations who share common objectives have the potential to positively influence the personal development of the Fringe festival artists and workers and thereby increase outcomes for each organisation.  

The MOU will be signed by the South Australian Minister for Arts, Andrea Micheals MP and Scotland’s Culture Secretary Angus Robertson.

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “The Edinburgh Fringe is an inspiration to many festivals around the world and this formal agreement between the Edinburgh Fringe Society and the Adelaide Fringe is a fantastic initiative that will bring many benefits to both organisations.  

“In particular the opportunity to share knowledge and skills, grow new audiences and provide platforms for performers will help the business development of both festivals.”

South Australian MInister for Arts, Andrea Micheals said: “This MOU brings together the wealth of talent, experience and creative ideas that exists in both Edinburgh and Adelaide Fringe Festivals. 

“It represents the two largest festivals in the world joining forces to harness that extraordinary skill and create exciting opportunities for artists and arts workers to work at these two internationally renowned festivals and beyond.  

“Adelaide is one of the world’s greatest festival cities and this partnership with the Edinburgh Festival cements our international reputation as the arts capital of Australia.”

The arrangement outlines details between the two festivals in the context of business, exchange and joint initiatives that will see Edinburgh and Adelaide Fringe festivals work to encourage the development of artists and their career trajectory and festival workers to the benefit of festivals internationally.  

Each organisation will recognise their positions as major tourist attractions in their respective regions for both local, national and international travellers; and the benefits of working collaboratively in the development of skills for festival workers, along with the importance of business opportunities that are created at festivals via industry programs for artists to secure future bookings for their work.

Each partner is committed to the development of their staff, which will in part see the implementation of an exchange program between the two major festivals. 

The MOU outlines a commitment from each party to promote one another’s Fringe festivals to artists while growing the audience-facing and industry-facing opportunities for artists participating in the festivals.

Director and CEO of Adelaide Fringe, Heather Croall said: ‘The establishment of this MOU is a momentous occurrence in the festival world.

“Fringe festivals are incubators for live performance and a testing ground for fresh ideas and new works, I’m sure the outcomes of this arrangement will ripple positively for artists and industry across the globe.”

Chief Executive of Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, Shona McCarthy said, “Today is an exciting moment as we formalise a collective ambition to support each other across a range of areas. 

“Our relationship with the Adelaide Fringe has developed over the last decade into a supportive and collaborative partnership, where we learn from each other and share our mutual challenges and opportunities. 

“The signing of the MOU is just the beginning of what we know will be an extremely rewarding partnership for everyone involved in the festivals.”

The Ghosts of North Leith: Citadel Arts Group leave no stone unturned

Citadel’s Arts Group’s 12th foray into Leith Festival is an exploration of the atmospheric North Leith Burial Ground. Their playwrights workshop wondered what lies beneath Coburg Street and found a number of big characters interred in this small cemetery.

Seven members of Citadel’s group of older writers each chose to research the story behind one of the graves.

There are people whose achievements and eccentricities will be dramatized in a play, The Ghosts of North Leith. Using music, humour and poetry, the drama will raise awareness of this fascinating area of Leith history.

In the Coburg Street Burial Ground lies Lady Anne Mackintosh nicknamed the ‘Colonel’. Playwright Rhona McAdam explains she was drawn to her ‘as she seemed a strong, independent woman, taking part in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. 

“Her husband, Sir Angus, chief of Clan Mackintosh, was a Captain in the government troops.  Since he was unable, or unwilling, to raise the clan to fight for Bonnie Prince Charlie, Lady Anne did it instead. 

“When the Jacobites won the Battle of Prestonpans, Sir Angus surrendered to his wife.  After the Battle of Culloden, when the Jacobites were defeated, Lady Anne surrendered to her husband.’  

Jim Brown took on the poet, Robert NicolI, heralded as the next Robert Burns. Jim said: ‘I became fascinated by Robert Nicoll because he was a poet, writer and radical newspaper man born in 1814, who packed so much into his short life. He died aged 23.’

No stone marks the burial place of 12-year-old Matilda Molesworth, but burial records indicate the spot. She features in the real-life story of the Trinity poltergeist. One of the collection of unexplained happenings in Catherine Crowe’s 1848 book “The Night Side of Nature“, it has popped up in anthologies of uncanny happenings ever since.

Another member of Citadel’s playwrights’ workshop, novelist Hilary Spiers explains: ” I’ve long been interested in the history of slavery in Scotland.

“While John Gladstones (buried in North Leith graveyard) and his grandson William Gladstone are better known, I felt John’s wife Nellie (who was known to be a very capable woman) might well have held views at odds with the men in her family. Women were a strong if largely unsung force in the abolitionist movement’.

Elaine Campbell came across the North Leith gravestone of three children and told us: ‘I was intrigued. Who were these three bairns so lovingly remembered?

“In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries when the Millar children lived and died, infant mortality was ferociously high. Sadly all attempts to locate the children in church records proved fruitless.

“There were Millars living in Leith at the time.  I have assumed Peter, John and Archibald were part of this extended, prosperous family of merchants. Although the “Three Cherubs” is my fictional account, I drew on historical material to describe their short lives and untimely deaths.

“By telling their story I hope to have given voice to the countless children who lie long forgotten in North Leith Graveyard’. 

Was it chance or Divine intervention that led writers Carolyn and Brian Lincoln to the gravestone of the Rev. Dr. David Johnston? Previous attempts at finding the grave of this pillar of the North Leith community had proved fruitless.

The Lincolns were paying one last visit to the Coburg Street churchyard, when they noticed the letters D.D. poking through the moss. D.D. Doctor of Divinity.  They scraped away some moss and there was the name. David Johnston (1735-1824) served the parish for nearly 60 years, a strong leader when Leith was seriously threatened by the ships of John Paul Jones, who supported the breakaway American colonies.

The play, which includes all these stories, and more, will be given a trial performed reading in North Leith Parish Church on 15 June. Citadel Arts Group seeks feedback from this first audience at Leith Festival with a view to staging a full performance of the play later in the year in the same venue.

North Leith Parish Church in Madeira Street welcomes Citadel Arts Group’s interest in the burial ground, and the church building which was to have been the keystone of Leith’s ‘New Town’.

Tim Bell told us: ‘I welcome the play as a chance for local and Edinburgh people to see this beautiful Georgian Church before it is released from the Church of Scotland estate in 2024’.

Venue: North Leith Parish Church, 51 Madeira Street EH6 4AU

Date: June 15th 7pm

Tickets: £5 from lizhare@blueyonder.co.uk /07770 623 924

Associated event: Hilary Spiers will lead a free guided tour of North Leith Burial Ground in Coburg Street on Monday June 12th at 2pm. Places are limited. Book from Liz Hare

Writers: Carolyn and Brian Lincoln, Jim Brown, John Lamb, Hilary Spiers, Elaine Campbell and Rhona McAdam.

Cast: Mark Kydd, Deborah Whyte, Chelsea Grace, Gregor Davidson, Dale McQueen.

Director: Liz Hare

Sound: Stewart Emm

Citadel Arts Group (SC 034687) is a Leith-based theatre company which specialises in creating new plays based on local stories, memories, and history.

Brian Eddington: 1949 – 2023

Brian Eddington died last month at the age of 74 years. A North Edinburgh man through and through, he was born in Leith but spent most of his childhood and early years in West Pilton after his family were rehoused there (writes LYNN McCABE).

Brian lived in Drylaw for a number of years and then moved down to Muirhouse where he lived for more than 2 decades. He returned to Leith a few years ago when he was unable to return to his flat in Muirhouse after having part of his leg amputated.

Brian loved his community and was involved in many different groups, classes and local initiatives over the years. He was a creative person and found a second home in Muirhouse Festival Association (MFAC) where he developed a passion for community arts.

He was a member of the local drama group and was actively involved in the annual panto and gala. Brian was also involved in the Greater Pilton Print Resource (GPPR) (later Greater Pilton Design Resource/Source) and North Edinburgh News (the NEN), which provided so much rich source material for the Never Give Up project which Brian helped to produce along with fellow activists.

Brian had a passion for photography and history and he was able to bring together his local knowledge and his skills to document the ongoing changes and developments in Muirhouse which he witnessed first hand as a local resident. His photographs tell their own story about the process of regeneration and the impact this has had on his community.

In 2009, Brian joined North Edinburgh Social History Group along with Roberta Blaikie, Anna Hutchison, Brian Robertson and Ian Moore with a mission to record the history of activism in North Edinburgh.

Brian was a great person to have on board and relished trawling through 40 years worth of back copies of the Commune and the NEN and long forgotten photos, leaflets and posters which had been stored in dusty store cupboards and filing cabinets in local projects waiting for someone to find a use for them.

During the project, Brian was sufficiently movitated to get over his aversion to computers and managed to pick up some IT skills along the way which enabled him to access photographs of the area which had been digitalised by the Scotsman.

The project was a long hard slog and took 2 years to complete but the Never Give Up publication, exhibition and film gave Brian, the group and the wider community a great deal of pride in seeing their community accurately represented for a change.

It is an important piece of work documenting the rich history of North Edinburgh and the important role played by local people in their fight for social justice – a fight which continues until this day.

Following the launch of the Never Give Up project, Brian was involved in helping to establish a new adult education class called Power to the People : an introduction to the history of Protest in Scotland.

The class ran for a number of years and brought together new activists alongside people who had been involved in local and national politics. Inevitably perhaps, the focus of the class moved from studying politics and protest to actually doing it!

The Power to the People group were involved in many local issues over the years including cuts to local services and the campaign to stop the eviction of local families from their homes.

Brian’s love of history and politics continued until the end with his daily blog on facebook about important Scottish figures and events.

I’ll finish with a wee quote from Brian from the Never Give Up publication where he is talking about his time in Muirhouse drama group:

“We used to do street theatre about different issues. We did a thing about the poll tax where someone got arrested for not paying their poll tax. They got sent to a privatised jail.

“We basically done it any place where we could find people standing about. Folk thought it was hilarious. We handed out leaflets about the poll tax at the same time – that was the serious part of it. It was a good way to get across a serious message”.

Brian’s funeral service takes place this morning at 11.30 at Warriston Crematorium’s small chapel.

Culture organisations set to benefit as unique funding opportunity reopens

A fund that connects visionary culture organisations with business sponsorship opportunities will open for its seventh round of applications this month.  

Managed by the charity Culture & Business Scotland and supported by the Scottish Government, the fund will provide backing of up to £12,000 each to as many creative organisations as possible ranging from grassroots initiatives to established cultural events.  

When distributing funds, Culture & Business Scotland also account for an organisation’s ethical and environmental credentials, with a focus on supporting organisations which have implemented Fair Work policies, incorporated carbon neutral plans and embedded equality, diversity, and inclusion into their activities.  

Many organisations and businesses have benefited from this fund in the past. A significant beneficiary of the Culture & Business Scotland fund is Edinburgh-based theatre company Vision Mechanics, which used that investment to lever funds from A.T. Best Handlers Ltd in 2019, enabling the creation of Scotland’s largest puppet.

Made from recycled materials, the puppet, known as ‘Storm’, undertook a tour of the country to raise awareness of marine pollution and the urgency of caring for the environment.

The project culminated in the appearance of Storm at Cop26. As well as this, the project addressed community and social empowerment and equalities, diversity and inclusion and also generated significant local cultural tourism benefits.  

For the business, it met a number of external facing business needs, such as image enhancement, business and brand awareness, marketing, but also addressed internal business aspirations, including staff relations and development and creative development. 

Tommy McCormick, Culture & Business Scotland Fund Manager, said: “Since its launch, the Culture & Business Fund has helped to forge impactful relationships between culture organisations and businesses, with powerful and innovative results.

“We are delighted to reopen the fund for a seventh year, extending opportunities to a wider range of organisations and providing creatives with the resources to bring their artistic visions to life.” 

Vision Mechanics, the organisation behind the Storm puppet, added: “We could not have made Storm without this sponsorship. It was a nail-biting budget and this deal made it possible. 

“The additional funding from CBFS was essential. If it had not been available, we might have had a telehandler, but perhaps not been able to build the puppet.” 

Since its inauguration in 2017, the fund has enabled over 200 projects across Scotland to transform their artistic and creative visions into reality.

Over £1.2 million of funding has been awarded so far to creative projects across the country, from Grampian Art Hospital Trust in the north to Dumfries and Galloway Art Festival in the south. 

The fund serves Culture & Business Scotland’s commitment to facilitating meaningful connections between the culture and business sectors, creating the possibility for businesses to sponsor creative projects with vision and scope.  

Vision Mechanics received thousands and thousands of positive comments that can be viewed here: https://www.facebook.com/VisionMechanicsLeith.  

Applications are open from 17th May, and organisations interested in applying to the fund can do so here: https://www.culturebusinessfund.scot

Start 2023 with the best of  Royal Opera House Stream

  • 6 new recordings launched between January and April
  • The Royal Ballet: The Cellist, Romeo and Juliet and Sylvia
  • The Royal Opera: La traviata, Fidelio and Madama Butterfly

This New Year, the Royal Opera House will add six new performances to Royal Opera House Stream for audiences around the world to enjoy: The Cellist, Romeo and Juliet and Sylvia from The Royal Ballet; and La traviata, Fidelio and Madama Butterfly from The Royal Opera.

The new titles join a library of over 50 beloved productions and over 100 behind-the-scenes videos, giving audiences an opportunity to discover more by the artists they love, and watch world-class art wherever they are.

The year kicks off with a recording of Cathy Marston’s extraordinary one-act ballet The Cellist (2020).

The production – the choreographer’s first work for the Royal Opera House’s Main Stage – is a lyrical memoir of the momentous life of the cellist Jacqueline du Pré, whose brilliant career was cut short by the onset of multiple sclerosis at the age of 28.

Composer Philip Feeney incorporates music by Elgar, Beethoven, Fauré, Mendelssohn, Piatti, Rachmaninoff and Schubert into an exquisite score that is itself an homage to the cello. This multi award-winning production stars Royal Ballet Principals Lauren Cuthbertson, Marcelino Sambé and Matthew Ball.

On Thursday 19 January 2023, our latest revival of Verdi’s ever popular La traviata arrives on Royal Opera House Stream.

Richard Eyre’s production, with sumptuous belle époque-inspired designs by Bob Crowley, has long been a Royal Opera favourite, winning critical acclaim for its exquisite sets, lavish costumes, and unforgettably dramatic staging.

The performance (recorded in 2022) is sung by a truly international cast that includes Pretty Yende as Violetta Valéry, Stephen Costello as Alfredo Germont and Dimitri Platanias as Giorgio Germont.

February begins with the release of Tobias Kratzer’s production of Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio (2020), with Music Director of The Royal Opera Antonio Pappano conducting a spectacular cast led by Lise Davidsen and David Butt Philip.

Then, on Valentine’s Day 2023, Romeo and Juliet will be made available. Kenneth MacMillan’s classic adaptation of Shakespeare’s play – set to Prokofiev’s iconic score and featuring evocative designs by Nicholas Georgiadis – has remained a firm favourite of The Royal Ballet’s repertory since its premiere in 1965, which was danced by Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn.

The production offers dancers in the lead roles a wealth of opportunity for differing interpretations of the star-crossed lovers.

Two further new productions will be available from March: Frederick Ashon’s ballet Sylvia (2005), starring former Royal Ballet Principal Darcey Bussell and Guest Artist Roberto Bolle; and Puccini’s devastating opera Madama Butterfly (2022), conducted by Nicola Luisotti and sung by a stunning cast that includes acclaimed Italian soprano Maria Agresta as Cio-Cio-San, American tenor Joshua Guerrero as Lieutenant B.F Pinkerton, Spanish Baritone Carlos Álvarez as Sharpless, and English mezzo-soprano Christine Rice as Suzuki.

All Royal Opera House Stream productions come complete with extra wraparound material – interviews, masterclasses, rehearsal footage and more – giving audiences a unique behind the scenes insight into one of the world’s leading theatres.

Royal Opera House Stream currently hosts over 50 stunning works from The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera, with highlights including Wayne McGregor’s The Dante Project, Katie Mitchell’s production of Handel’s Theodora, Frederick Ashton’s La fille mal gardée, Christopher Wheeldon’s The Winter’s Tale and Puccini’s Tosca.

In addition to the 100+ pieces of behind-the-scenes content already online, further features – ranging from rehearsal footage to interviews and masterclasses – will be made available across 2023 for subscribers to enjoy.

Join today to watch the world’s greatest performers, emerging talent, leading choreographers and trailblazing creative teams from the comfort of your own home. From family favourites and modern masterpieces to heartbreaking arias and passionate pas-de-deux, Royal Opera House Stream offers it all: truly transformative experiences for only £9.99 a month or £99 annually.

Whatever your interest – whether classical or contemporary – there’s a breadth of content for you.

New productions from March 2023 will be announced over the coming months.

Art project inspired by wild swimming set to make a big splash

New artwork celebrates 50+ swimmers in Scotland’s East Coast communities

Fife-based artist Joanna van den Berg will embark upon a new two-year art project inspired by the lure of coastal swimming thanks to National Lottery Funding through Creative Scotland’s Open Fund.

A woman in silhouette walks out to sea in the sunlight

Developed in collaboration with swimmers, coastal artists and communities, Joanna will develop a series of mixed-media artworks, with a companion collection of writing and images.

This new project titled IMMERSE will take the form of a tribute, exploration and celebration of the growing numbers of ‘feisty 50+ers, women in particular’, whose lives, well-being and sense of solidarity have been galvanised through regular immersion in Scotland’s seas, lochs, rivers and reservoirs.

As one of many who started wild swimming during the Covid pandemic, artist Joanna van den Berg has drawn inspiration from the physical and emotional impact of this directly immersive encounter with the landscape. In Joanna’s own words, ‘the act of transitioning from land to water; the shock, the fear, the exhilaration.’

IMMERSE will host a series of exhibition/gathering events in coastal venues, aiming to produce a companion publication/anthology of text and images for wider distribution by December 2024. News on these, along with call-outs for contributors and regular updates on the project, will be available on an IMMERSE Instagram/Facebook channel from January 2023.

Artist Joanna van den Berg says: “I’m delighted to have been awarded Open Project funding for IMMERSE, a project to create visual narrative for the emotional and physical lure of wild, coastal and tidal pool swimming.

“I’ll be developing work that draws directly from the stories and experiences of swimmers in Scotland’s East Coast communities.

“Much of my work is bound in transitions between land and water, lost and found, known and unknown, and is increasingly underpinned by my experience of aging.

“I am one of an armada of wild swimmers (many of whom are older women) with a newfound and directly immersive relationship with the landscape. I’m particularly interested in the correlation of wild swimming with age-related changes to our bodies, lifestyle and social autonomy.”

The project is one of 69 projects receiving a total of £1,197,933 National Lottery funding in this latest round of Creative Scotland’s Open Fund awards.

At a glance, projects include:

  • Ullapool Book Festival’s 19th annual festival to be held on 5 and 6 May 2023.
  • A new album from acclaimed Glasgow-based folk band Gnoss.
  • Look To the Rainbow – the first biography of the Scots-born singer, actress and entertainer Ella Logan from Alison Kerr.
  • A new duo album fromLouise Dodds and Elchin Shirinov comprised of traditional Scottish Folk Songs and interwoven with influences of both jazz and Azerbaijani folk music.
  • The Party Shrimp – an interactive, outdoor, visual walkabout performance for children (5+), families from Adrenalism.
  • A Scotland-wide series of exhibitions, talks and workshops engaging audiences in the story of Bernat Klein, a Serbian born designer whose career based in the Scottish Borders spanned six decades.

Paul Burns, Interim Deputy Director of Arts & Engagement at Creative Scotland said: “As the year draws to a close, we are once again inspired by the range of exciting new projects that have received Open Fund support.

“The diversity and scope of these projects is reflective of our society as a whole, and we hope that these projects will continue to enrich the lives of people of all ages in Scotland in 2023 and beyond.”

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society launches its review of the year 2022

Summary of the Society’s work over the past 12 months accompanied by headline findings from surveys

This morning the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society launches its review of the year: an in-depth look at the work it has accomplished over the past 12 months.

With unease caused by a new wave of COVID in early 2022, there was still uncertainty that a fully formed Fringe could take place this August. However, against what felt like impossible odds at times, the Fringe re-emerged in glorious technicolour, with local performers joined by artists from across the UK and 63 nations.

In June, Fringe Society President Phoebe Waller-Bridge launched the Fringe Society’s new vision – to give anyone a stage and everyone a seat. This was followed in August with the announcement of new alumni Patron, Eddie Izzard, who started her career as a street performer on the famous Royal Mile.

As the festival approached,activities to celebrate the Fringe’s 75th anniversary took place, through memories collected from audiences and artists over the years.

The popular street events programme expanded into new areas of Edinburgh’s city centre, with over 3,200 performances taking place, and the Fringe Central participants’ hub opened its doors to over 2,100 arts industry, media, producers and visiting delegations.

Projects such as Fringe Days Out and the Children and Young People ticketing scheme returned as the Society continued with local schools and community groups.  These vital initiatives supported children, young people, and those across Edinburgh who might not otherwise get to experience the Fringe.

By the end of August, over 2.2m tickets had been issued, and artists from 63 countries had performed in over 3,400 shows across Edinburgh.

Read the Fringe Society’s full review of the year 2022 at:

https://edfringe.shorthandstories.com/fringe-review-2022.

Following a year of heightened interest in the Society’s work, today the Society also announce the headline results from a mass feedback project, launched in September.

A significant part of the Society’s annual evaluation is surveying a broad group of stakeholders.  This year was no different, with the largest listening drive since 2019.  The Society commissioned Scotinform to facilitate surveys to registered artists, audience members, venues, workers, arts industry and media, who combine to create the Fringe ecosystem.

More than 10,000 responses across the surveys were received, with results now being used to support the development of new projects, and to target our future plans. These vital data insights also give us the evidence base we need to advocate for focused support and address some of the challenges identified by the Fringe community.

The positioning of the festival continues to be strong: 76% of audience members agreed that the Fringe is one of the most important cultural events in the world. When asked for motivations for attending the 2022 Fringe, respondents cited seeing a variety of events/performances (76%) and enjoying live performance after the pandemic (49%).

Edinburgh’s residents continue to be vital to the festival: 65% feel the Fringe makes the city a better place to live, alongside 75% who feel it makes Edinburgh a better place to visit.  With the cost-of-living crisis likely to extend into 2023, 66% of audiences would like ticket offers or discounted tickets, with 91% of Edinburgh residents interested in a discount for EH postcodes.

The live experience continues to be a major motivator, with only 7% agreeing that they would like to see more online shows at the Fringe. As we look ahead to 2023, there is continued optimism from audiences, with 81% of respondents stating they are likely to come to the Fringe in 2023.

Unsurprisingly, following the intense interest in a Fringe app for 2023, 46% of audience respondents said they felt an app would have improved their Fringe experience, with 66% stating they would use an app in the future. This aligned with artist feedback, with 71% stating a Fringe app is very important to them. Work on the 2023 app is already underway and details on its functionality and launch timings will be announced in the new year.

For artists, the Fringe continues to be a core platform for artists’ careers, with 82% of those attending the Fringe for the first time doing so for professional development reasons. For returning Fringe artists, experiencing the Fringe was the biggest motivator, with 82% citing this as the main reason.

Neil Hanna Photography www.neilhannaphotography.co.uk 07702 246823

Accommodation continues to be a concern for many performers: 87% of artists felt that affordability of accommodation and living costs will be a barrier to future participation in the Fringe; however 70% of artists said they are still likely to bring a show to the Fringe in the future.  Interestingly, 17% of artists did not engage directly with the Society, and as such were not aware of the full offering of services available to them such as Fringe Connect and Fringe Marketplace.

While a small sample of workers responded to their survey, the Society continues to review how we reach and support this group more.  Recognising work undertaken in support of the Real Living Wage, 77% of Fringe workers said they were paid on or above this benchmark at this year’s festival. 91% were also satisfied that they had a line manager to seek help from, if and when they needed it.

In addition to the statistical information, Scotinform evaluated free text responses across the surveys.  In general, there was an appetite for more information to be shared with all respondents, at more regular points of the year. 

Advance detailed information was clearly sought, and as such The Society is refining its communications strategy to ensure first time, and returning artists, have the year-round support they need to attend the Fringe in the future. 

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “It’s easy to forget how tumultuous this year has been – between Omicron variants, the cost-of-living crisis and de-stabilising world events, it feels miraculous the Fringe happened at all.

“The fact that it did is a testament to the concerted effort and support of a cast of thousands, including artists, audiences, venues, media, staff, volunteers, crew, sponsors, elected officials and the city of Edinburgh itself.

“Improvements can always be made, and the insights and data gained from our recent listening exercise are already being taken forward.

“We recognise that there are ongoing challenges, and our team are working hard behind the scenes to continue to advocate for our artists, and to support audiences as they plan for Fringe 2023.”

Review-of-the-Year-2022Download