music – Page 48 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Craigroyston art exhibition opens at North Edinburgh Arts

Craigroyston Primary School Art Exhibition 2015

Every year, the pupils at Craigroyston Primary amaze and surprise everyone with their fantastic array of art and this year is no exception (writes Helen Cameron). From patterns and plants to seas and sunshine, and everything in between, the pupils have done it again this year and put on a fabulous show!

For a wee change the venue this year is the North Edinburgh Arts Centre so anyone popping in for a coffee or meeting friends can wander round and marvel at all the pupils’ work. It will be on display for the next few weeks, is free of charge and everyone is welcome to go and view.

The children are hoping to reach a wider audience by using this venue, certainly it is easy for anyone in the area to drop in either on your own or even better bring a friend! Hopefully lots of you will manage along and spread the word about all the local talent!

Many thanks to the staff at the Centre for their help and support in mounting the exhibition and preparing advertising material.

Helen Cameron

NOTE:

The exhibition opened in style at North Edinburgh Arts last night with great musical performances by the school’s Glee Club (including a very impressive ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ – a cappella, too!) – and the talented new woodwind players.

See below for some opening night pictures – and there are lots more on our Facebook page

Do visit the exhibition – you won’t be disappointed! DP

It’s Showtime!

Local group make a song and dance about charity fundraising

Edinburgh-based theatre group Showcase, which has raised more than £220,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year.

They are staging three performances of their production ‘Showcase 25’ this weekend in the King’s Theatre when they hope to take the total raised to a show-stopping £250,000.

The group, which has performed in the Church Hill Theatre every year since 1990, with all profits going to Macmillan, boast a wide repertoire of songs and styles.

Director Andy Johnston said: “Showcase is an enormously talented group of singers and dancers – there is literally no musical style they can’t conquer. In the past they have tackled everything from Led Zeppelin to the Sound of Music, all performed in the trademark ‘big choral’ Showcase sound.”

Showcase President Susan Galloway added: “We like to think of ourselves as one big family. And we genuinely believe that every person that walks through the door of the theatre and buys a ticket to one of our shows is contributing – they’re helping make a difference to someone’s life. As far as we’re concerned, that’s the reason we exist.”

Macmillan’s Edinburgh Fundraising Manager Jayne Forbes said: “The support that Showcase has given Macmillan is nothing short of astounding. We are so grateful to them and everyone who goes along to their shows.

“We help people in many ways, from specialist nurses and doctors, to help and advice for people who have financial worries as a result of their cancer diagnosis, none of which would be possible without the support of people in Edinburgh. This is a really special anniversary for Showcase, and I’d urge local people to go along to a show. You are guaranteed an entertaining few hours, safe in the knowledge your ticket money is supporting a wonderful cause.”

Showcase 25 takes place on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 May (matinee and evening performance) in the King’s Theatre. Tickets are from £15 and available from www.edtheatres.com/showcase

Electrifying talent on show in Let’s Glow festival

Let’s Glow festival shines a light on Edinburgh College’s creative talent

Edinburgh College’s dazzling creative students are about to light up the city with a two-month celebration of their luminous talents.

The Let’s Glow festival gives Edinburgh the chance to enjoy performances and exhibitions from college students covering everything from music, theatre and dance to photography, film, art, animation, textiles and design. The programme of events will showcase the skills and talents of the students, demonstrating the work they have undertaken at Edinburgh College over the last year.

Let’s Glow runs from 4 May to 22 June, with events taking place at venues across the city – including the college’s campuses, Summerhall, The King’s Theatre, The Traverse Theatre, The Edinburgh Filmhouse and The Queen’s Hall. Photography students are also taking their work to exhibit at Brick Lane in London.

The festival will feature students from all the college’s creative industries study programmes: Art and Design; Broadcast Media and Photography; Computing; Music and Sound Production; and Performing Arts.

The programme includes large-scale end-of-year shows by music, arts, photography, film and animation students; the PASS Cross Currents dance event choreographed by college staff and performed by students; an exhibition of make-up artistry; a graphic design exhibition; performances of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and contemporary Scottish play My Romantic History; the PASS Out showcase for final-year Acting and Performance students; a musical theatre revue; and the premier of an original musical about Scotland’s most revered and most controversial instrument – the bagpipes!

The festival launched last night with sneak peek performances at the city’s La Belle Angele.

Jon Buglass, head of the Centre for Creative Industries at Edinburgh College, said: “Following the success of the first Let’s Glow festival last year, we’re delighted to showcase the incredible talents of our current crop of students. The events at this year’s festival allow us to celebrate and share the remarkable work our students have been producing over the last year. We are constantly blown away by the quality of their work and the time, effort and dedication they put into its production.

“The diversity in the programme means there really is something for everyone on offer. So if you want to be inspired by the talents of our students, get along to one of our Let’s Glow events.”

The full programme of events – some of which are free – and details of where to buy tickets can be found at www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/letsglow.

Keep up to date with Let’s Glow events on Facebook and Twitter.

#letsglow15

Sitting In Silence

Local band’s new release is out today

Twin City Records are very pleased to announce the release of ‘Sitting In Silence‘ – the brand new single from local five- piece The Indos.

The band continue to raise the bar musically with this new offering as well as growing their fan base not only in Scotland but throughout the UK. The single was recorded, mixed and mastered by Mark Morrow in his newly refurbished Edinburgh studio in February this year.

The follow up to their debut EP ‘Fifty Shades of Blue‘ will be out as a digital download only.

Please listen or download the track using the link:

https://soundcloud.com/twincityrecords/the-indos-sitting-in-silence-radio-edit/s-2P95c

Chess: The Musical takes to the Church Hill Stage

Edinburgh Music Theatre took to the stage last night (10 March) to present the first performance of a week’s run of Chess: The Musical.

EMT will be performing the musical theatre classic, best known for the popular duet “I Know Him So Well”, at the Church Hill Theatre in Morningside until Saturday 14 March.

The musical follows the story of two of the world’s greatest chess masters as they battle it out at the world chess championships, but their greatest contest is for the love of one woman. Amidst political intrigue and international conspiracies, the American and the Russian fight to win her heart in a romantic triangle that mirrors the heightened passions of the Cold War.

Performances of Chess will take place in the Church Hill Theatre from 10-14 March at 7:30pm, with a matinee performance on Saturday 14 March at 2:30pm. Tickets are available through the Usher Hall website and booking line 0131 228 1155.

Listing Details:

Edinburgh Music Theatre presents Chess: the Musical.
The Church Hill Theatre, Morningside Road, Edinburgh.
7:30pm (Saturday Matinee 2:30pm)
Tickets: Wed – Sat £14 (£12 conc.). Sat Matinee – all tickets £12.

Showcase: Raising the roof to support cancer charity

Showcase25 Launches!

Last week saw the launch of Showcase25, with the cast of a hundred finding out what is going to be in the 25^th anniversary celebration of Showcase on 29 and 30 May in the King’s Theatre.

Showcase is a musical theatre company which has performed annually since 1990 to raise money for charity using the musical skills and talents of some of the best ‘non-professional’ performers in Edinburgh and the surrounding area. Their aim is to produce a highly entertaining and professional show incorporating a wide variety of musical styles.

Cast member Amanda Hendrie, said: “Showcase25 will be my ninth show performing with Showcase and I cannot wait to perform on the King’s Theatre stage in May! The programme for this show is very strong and I am excited to be getting into rehearsals and putting it all together.”

Showcase25 will be a musical extravaganza paying tribute to Showcase past, present and future. It will feature a selection of the very best of Showcase including songs by Queen and Adele, as well as musical numbers from Les Miserables and Wicked.

Director, Andy Johnston, said: “It has been very difficult compiling a show that accurately represents 25 years worth of Showcase hits – our first draft programme would have run for nearly four hours! – but we feel this show will be an accurate representation of where Showcase came from, and of where we are now.”

While everyone involved performs in Showcase because of their love of the theatre, there is also a very serious side. Showcase is an important fundraiser for Macmillan Cancer Support in Scotland, having raised over £220,000 to date.

Andy Johnston added: “Each and every one of our cast gives so freely of their talents and time all to benefit Macmillan Cancer Support – I often remind the cast that as a company, we are in a very special position that we have a hobby than can genuinely change someone else’s life – and what can be more important than that?’

With 310,000 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK every year, many of the cast and supporters of Showcase have been affected by cancer and have first-hand experience of the support Macmillan gives.

Jayne Forbes, Macmillan Cancer Support Fundraising Manager, Edinburgh said: “We are extremely grateful to Showcase for their considerable support to date. They have raised an incredible amount of money which has helped us make a real difference to the lives of people affected by cancer.

“We help people in many ways, from specialist nurses and doctors, to help and advice for people who have financial worries as a result of their cancer diagnosis.

“In Edinburgh there are 53 specialist Macmillan nurses and health care professionals, helping people living with cancer and their families receive essential medical, practical and emotional support.

“None of this would be possible without supporters like Showcase. 98% of our funding comes from public donations. Quite simply, we couldn’t provide our services with support of local people.”

With over 100 voices singing in glorious harmony, it is bound to raise the roof of the King’s Theatre. Tickets are from £15 and are available at www.edtheatres.com/showcase.

Creative Industries Open Days at Edinburgh College

Edinburgh College Open Days next week

Edinburgh College is throwing open its doors next week and inviting anyone interested in careers in the creative industries to find out how they can get on course to success.

The college’s Centre for Creative Industries is hosting three open days to introduce prospective students to its range of courses across three of its campuses, including art and design, computing, broadcast media, photography, music and sound production, and the performing arts.

There will be opportunities to speak to lecturers and students, experience the cutting-edge facilities at each campus, and get hands-on with interactive activities.

The Creative Industries Open Days will take place from 3-6pm at Sighthill Campus on Tuesday (3 March), Milton Road Campus on Wednesday and at Granton Campus on Thursday 5 March.

More than 100,000 people are employed in the creative industries sector in Scotland, with careers in film, radio, media, theatre, music, and digital media available.

Jon Buglass, head of the Centre for Creative Industries, said: “These open days provide the perfect opportunity for prospective students to get hands-on experience of what studying at Edinburgh College’s Centre for Creative Industries is really like. It is an exciting time for the creative industries in Scotland, and our courses provide the perfect framework to develop the skill, nurture the talent and develop the creativity of our students to prepare them for a creative career.”

Visitors to Granton Campus can see the top-of-the-range performing arts facilities at the Performing Arts Studio Scotland (PASS), which provides training in acting, dance, make-up artistry, technical theatre and theatre costume.

Budding musical theatre stars and musicians can visit Sighthill Campus, where the Music Box facilities include recording studios, practice rooms and an auditorium. The Music Box is the high-tech home to most of the college’s music performance students, both classical and pop.

Those who would prefer to study the technical side of music production can visit Milton Road Campus, where courses in sound production and the music business are offered in the CRE:8 creative centre alongside the HND Popular Music.

The campuses also have excellent facilities for those interested in courses in photography, audio visual technology and radio. The college’s computing courses provide essential skills in software development, games design, web development and building and testing computers and IT networks.

The college’s art and design students work to exciting briefs in their chosen field, whether fashion, textiles and costumes, jewellery, interior design, architecture, contemporary arts, interactive media, graphic design or illustration.

Not all courses are taught at all campuses, please check the Edinburgh College website to identify the appropriate open day for your subject area.

Applications for the all the college’s Creative Industries courses starting in August are open now – find out more about the courses available on www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/august2015 or by calling the college course information line 0131 660 1010.

Applications for August courses will close on 15 May.

Flower of Scotland is fans’ choice

The majority of Scotland supporters are in favour of Flower of Scotland being officially recognised as the country’s national anthem, the SFA has announced.

The Scottish FA was asked to provide football’s view by the Scottish Parliamentary Petition Committee and the decision to ask the fans was met with an overwhelming 35,000 responses in 48 hours.

Of those polled across the SFA’s Scotland Supporters Club (SSC) membership, and a social media audience in excess of 500,000, 56% were in favour of the Scottish Government officially recognising the anthem, with 44% opposed to the formalisation.

The poll was circulated to 35,000 SSC members as well as through the Scottish FA’s Official Twitter account and Scotland National Team Facebook page.

Interestingly, there was a marked difference between SSC respondents and the social media view. While 65% of the 23,000 social media responses were in favour of official recognition, 60% of the 12,606 SSC respondents were not in favour.

The Scottish FA also gave fans the opportunity to suggest alternatives to Flower of Scotland, which has proven hugely popular in the sporting arena and has been performed at Hampden Park by the likes of Amy Macdonald, Nina Nesbitt, Julie Fowlis, Donnie Munro and last year’s X Factor runner-up, Nicholas McDonald.

Caledonia, the Dougie MacLean classic, figured prominently along with Scotland the Brave as suggested alternatives but there was also significant support for the creation of a new anthem, with notable mentions, also, for the Proclaimers favourite, 500 Miles, and the United Kingdom’s National Anthem, God Save The Queen.

The feedback has now been submitted to the Parliamentary Petition Committee.

A Scottish FA spokesperson said: “The response to the committee’s enquiry has been incredible. The easy option would have been to gauge the Board’s view but the wider consultation not only demonstrates the passion and engagement of our 35,000 Supporters Club members but also highlights the power of social media.

“While the majority of responses were in favour of Flower of Scotland being officially recognised by the Scottish Government, there is also plenty food for thought in the feedback analysis.

“There is clearly an appetite among a section of supporters to give consideration to a new anthem. Scotland the Brave retains an affinity among an element of the supporters with the popularity of The Proclaimers’ crowd-pleaser endures.”

Burns ceilidh: celebrating community at Royston Wardieburn

That Man to Man, the world o’er,

Shall brothers (and sisters!) be for a’ that

A Burns Night is about many things. Good food, shared with friends, family or neighbours – and sometimes all three! Burns is about love, about comradeship and about community but if there’s just one word that captures the spirit of Scotland’s national Bard it’s ‘celebration’ – and all those elements were there in abundance at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre last night.

Yes, last night’s Community Celeidh celebrated the memory of Burns but it was more than that – it was a vibrant, living tribute to all the good things Burns work extolls: a warm, friendly gathering of friends and neighbours of all ages, interests and ethnicities joining together to have fun in each others’ company.

Organised by Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, Granton Community Gardeners and Pilton Community Health Project’s Living in Harmony group the evening built on last year’s event and proved to be a huge success.

Around 150 people – aged from three months up to … well, a good bit older! – enjoyed a traditional Burns Supper and were entertained by the excellent Homecoming String Band and a succession of local performers, all made poosible and supported by a team of enthusiastic volunteers who were always on hand to make sure the evening went smoothly.

Congratulations to the organisers, the band, the excellent team of volunteers and the local performers who entertained us so regally on the night: the poets, the musicians, the singers and the wee dancer – you were all brilliant!

And thanks, too, the the local community who came along to support the event and whose enthusiasm made the evening such a success.

Rabbie would be proud of you all – here’s to next year!

Visit our Facebook page for more ceilidh pictures

Mair Scots music …

Free concert in Stockbridge this Sunday …