Drylaw Parish Church is holding a traditional Scots Afternoon in the Large Hall this Saturday from 12.30 – 4pm.
Haggis neeps and tatties lunch followed by a celebration of Scottish entertainment old and new. Tickets (£7.50) are available from Susan Jeffrey or a member of Fundraising committee.
See http://e-voice.org.uk/drylawparishchurch/ for more info
All three performances of North Edinburgh Theatre project’s ‘1d tenement opera‘ production have sold out.
Yes, tickets were free so technically the tickets haven’t exactly ‘sold out’ but you know what I mean – there are no tickets left!
If you do have a ticket for any of the performances, lucky you – I believe you’re in for a real treat. If you don’t have a ticket it’s worth checking with the Box Office just in case there are any returns – good luck! And finally, if you do have tickets but find yourself unable to attend – hand your tickets back in as someone will snap them up!
The show premieres tonight in North Edinburgh Arts and runs until Saturday. Best wishes to the cast and crew – break a leg, as they say in this wonderful business called show!
If you are interested in joining North Edinburgh Theatre project, they will resume during February. Contact admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk for more details.
Upper crust Roller Les is back on the gravy train!
Bay City Rollers front man Les McKeown has confirmed that he will crown the the new World Scotch Pie Champion when the world championships are held in Cumbernauld next week.
Les McKeown, the voice of Edinburgh’s 70’s super group – singing hits such as Bye Bye Baby, Shang A Lang and Give A Little Love – said: “We love a great pie and always stock up when we are on home ground. Touring non-stop around the world means we need to keep our strength up, so we always say ‘aye to a pie’! Being a judge again this year was a huge honour and I am looking forward to congratulating all the winners.”
The competition is supported by Scottish Bakers and the Scottish Federation of Meat Traders. Both trade associations actively support and promote bakers and butchers in Scotland by encouraging and sharing best practice.
Alan Clarke, chief executive of Scottish Bakers, is delighted with the support that the Bay City Rollers star is giving to the competition. He said: “They are an iconic Scottish band and the Scotch Pie is an iconic Scottish product.”
In addition to Scotch pies, bakers and butchers are invited to enter their best sausage rolls, bridies, specialty savouries, Scottish football pie and apple pies.
The competition gives butchers and bakers across Scotland the opportunity to become recognised as producing the highest quality products around the globe with awards given to those producing the best products in each category. The winner of the Scotch Pie category will be declared as the WORLD CHAMPION.
The competition, which has run for 15 years, aims to highlight that bakers and butchers create high quality artisan pastry products. Recognising the ‘great and the good’ in this way rewards excellence and raises the bar in the industry.
Silent Night has been named the UK’s favourite Christmas carol – ousting O Holy Night from the top spot after a twelve year run.
It’s said that Silent Night was written to help fill a gap in an Austrian midnight mass service after nibbling mice had put the church organ out of action!
First translated into English in 1863, the beautiful carol was sung between the trenches in the famous Christmas truce of 1914, which may help explain its return to number one as the country commemorates the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. The hugely-popular O Holy Night had previously held top spot for twelve years.
Thousands of Classic FM listeners voted in the radio station’s annual poll and the the full Top Thirty countdown will be broadcast on Christmas Day from 1pm in The Nation’s Favourite Carol.
I don’t want to spoil your enjoyment of the programme, but completing the top five are Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, In The Bleak Midwinter and O Come All Ye Faithful!
Whats your favourite Christmas song? Let us know!
Talented Edinburgh College Art and Design students have teamed up with city band The Valkarys to design CD covers, with the winning entry to be announced tomorrow.
The students, who are currently studying for their National Diploma Art and Design, were given three weeks to design eye-catching CD cover designs to represent The Valkarys’ music. More than 60 students were involved, each working on an individual design.
The doors open at 7:30pm tomorrow night at La Belle Angèle, 11 Hastie’s Close, off Guthrie Street, Edinburgh. The Valkarys will be performing followed by the announcement of the winning design.
… then you’re in for a feast at St Serf’s Church Goldenacre with TWO concerts to look forward to this weekend!
Saturday 13 December 7.30pm
New Edinburgh Orchestra Concert conducted by Tim Paxton
for further details visit http://www.newedinburghorchestra.org.uk/
Sunday 14 December 6.30pm
Capital Concert Band concert
For further details go to http://www.capitalconcertband.com/
Play on!
Local music professionals have joined forces with officials from the City of Edinburgh Council to discuss the state of the Capital’s live music scene.
At Live Music Matters, an open forum held at the Usher Hall last night, a jam-packed audience of musicians, gig promoters, venue managers and academics discussed the current live music offering in Edinburgh and shared ideas on how to enhance the experience of live music for musicians and concertgoers.
The debate was organised following a commitment in June by the Council’s Culture and Sport Committee to increase understanding and awareness of the live music scene in Edinburgh, in order to capture the key issues and opportunities facing the music community in the Capital.
Council policy on entertainment noise levels, the licensing and provision of live music venues in Edinburgh, and the support of grassroots talent emerged as hot topics for the local music community.
Councillor Norma Austin Hart, Vice Convener for Culture and Sport, said: “It is only right that debate about the city’s music scene is led by the experience and insight of local professionals. The Council-run and operated Usher Hall provides an ideal venue for the Live Music Matters open forum to discuss the current offering that we have in Edinburgh, and ideas for making it even better.
“What has become clear from the debate is that Edinburgh has a passionate and proud music industry, burgeoning with creative talent, and as a city we need to support this talent.
“Many venue owners and musicians feel that the Council’s current policy on noise levels can be a barrier to the development of Edinburgh’s music scene. To tackle this, we will specifically look at the current rules, and how these rules impact entertainment venues and residents.
“The meeting has also highlighted the importance many people attach to music venues, which goes far beyond sentiment and is really around cultural enrichment. The music community has told us they want Edinburgh’s music venues to be protected, and so we will aim to identify whether that is an option, perhaps through a register of cultural venues.
“Looking at ways to maintain and improve the city’s live music offering is a responsibility we need to face head on, and the Live Music Matters debate is only the beginning. We will now be gathering the comments and ideas from today’s discussion to look at ways we might be able to address them. Working in partnership will be crucial and the meeting today has reinforced that message. We will now set up a task force, called Music is Audible, with representatives from the music industry as well as the council.”
Karl Chapman, general manager of the Usher Hall, said: “The Usher Hall is a well placed venue to host this important debate, not just because it’s cultural importance in developing the arts and live music in the city, but also because it’s owned by the Council.
“The debate has been truly fascinating and I was surprised and delighted to see the tickets go so quickly. It’s been incredibly inspiring to hear everyone’s thoughts from across the industry today. The event has certainly shown there is a demand for a healthy live music scene in the city and the City of Edinburgh Council and the Usher Hall are committed to supporting Live Music Matters by hosting future meetings here in the venue.”
John Stout, promoter at Regular Music, added: “It’s fantastic to see the Council kick off this much needed conversation, and the open forum at the Usher Hall has covered the whole spectrum of live music in the city.
“The contribution that these events make to the local economy and towards making Edinburgh a cosmopolitan city can’t be underestimated. It will be interesting to see what the Council’s next steps will be.”
The debate will continue on social media and residents can share thoughts on Twitter using #livemusicmatters, and on the Council’s blog.
Further updates on the programme will become available later in the year.
The Usher Hall is owned and managed by the City of Edinburgh Council, is an international concert which has a maximum capacity of 2900, hosts around 200 concerts and sells around 220,000 tickets annually.
The Capital Concert Band is performing a free concert next Saturday (22 November) at 3pm in Leith St Andrew’s Church on Easter Road.
Support the band and enjoy some childhood family favourites! All welcome.
This year’s Gang Show is biggest ever
This year the annual Edinburgh Gang Show will be not only the biggest of its kind in the world but also the biggest production to be staged on the King’s Theatre. With over 330 young people from the Scouting and Girlguiding movements, it will be a busy and exciting show!
Running from 18 – 22 November at the King’s Theatre, the Edinburgh Gang Show includes slick song and dance numbers from Michael Jackson to Disney’s Frozen and many more, as well as topical comedy sketches.
Andy Johnston, the Edinburgh Gang Show Director said: “This is my 12th year as Director and it features the largest cast ever assembled for an Edinburgh Gang Show. Over 330 young people will get to experience the amazing buzz that you only get when the houselights go down at the start of a Gang Show and that almighty roar resounds around the auditorium.
“It is a very, very special show, one which is forward looking, while at the same time keeping in line with the format that was created 82 years ago by Ralph Reader. The show is a reflection on what has happened throughout year and we strive to make sure there really is something for everyone.”
It will be a special occasion for the youngest female cast, the Brownies, as the section turned 100 years old in 2014! In celebration there will be a special Big Brownie Birthday number with 170 Brownies, in two casts, 70 more than usual! This party number includes songs from Sister Act and Hannah Montana.
This modern, fast paced and funny production is not a show about Scouting and Girlguiding it is a performance by those in Scouting and Girlguiding. It allows these young people the chance to develop their performance skills in a professional environment and continue to do something that they clearly enjoy and love.
Edinburgh Gang Show 2014
King’s Theatre, Edinburgh
Tue 18 to Sat 22 November
Evenings 7.00pm
Saturday matinee 2.15pm (Audio described & BSL interpreted)
0131 529 6000
0131 529 6005 (Group bookings)
Tickets from £10.00
This year’s Gang Show is biggest ever
This year the annual Edinburgh Gang Show will be not only the biggest of its kind in the world but also the biggest production to be staged on the King’s Theatre. With over 330 young people from the Scouting and Girlguiding movements, it will be a busy and exciting show!
Running from 18 – 22 November at the King’s Theatre, the Edinburgh Gang Show includes slick song and dance numbers from Michael Jackson to Disney’s Frozen and many more, as well as topical comedy sketches.
Andy Johnston, the Edinburgh Gang Show Director said: “This is my 12th year as Director and it features the largest cast ever assembled for an Edinburgh Gang Show. Over 330 young people will get to experience the amazing buzz that you only get when the houselights go down at the start of a Gang Show and that almighty roar resounds around the auditorium.
“It is a very, very special show, one which is forward looking, while at the same time keeping in line with the format that was created 82 years ago by Ralph Reader. The show is a reflection on what has happened throughout year and we strive to make sure there really is something for everyone.”
It will be a special occasion for the youngest female cast, the Brownies, as the section turned 100 years old in 2014! In celebration there will be a special Big Brownie Birthday number with 170 Brownies, in two casts, 70 more than usual! This party number includes songs from Sister Act and Hannah Montana.
This modern, fast paced and funny production is not a show about Scouting and Girlguiding it is a performance by those in Scouting and Girlguiding. It allows these young people the chance to develop their performance skills in a professional environment and continue to do something that they clearly enjoy and love.
Edinburgh Gang Show 2014
King’s Theatre, Edinburgh
Tue 18 to Sat 22 November
Evenings 7.00pm
Saturday matinee 2.15pm (Audio described & BSL interpreted)
0131 529 6000
0131 529 6005 (Group bookings)
Tickets from £10.00
