Scotland’s largest outdoor shopping centre, Fort Kinnaird, is on the lookout for local performers to step into the spotlight as part of its inaugural Summer Live event.
Taking place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 2nd August – 18th August between 12-5pm, the centre is giving all type of performers from musicians, dancers and actors, to uplifting choirs, spoken word poets and solo singers the chance to showcase their talents to hundreds of local people.
The Summer Live stage will be set up near Hotel Chocolat, with a seating area for visitors to enjoy acts, and performers will be allocated a 30-minute time slot.
Fort Kinnaird is also partnering with East Lothian Arts Service – a council run programme supporting the arts – to host a series of workshops and performances from local community groups across the three weekends.
This will include sessions from The Brunton’s Performing Arts Network, East Lothian Youth Music Forum (ELJam), Sistema and Tinderbox Collective. Separately there will also be a variety of performances from The Theatre School of Scotland.
And as part of the centre’s commitment to supporting the arts, Fort Kinnaird will also be donating £1,000 to Tinderbox Collective to support an ongoing initiative to get musical instruments into public libraries, so people can borrow them for free – just like taking out a book – which is currently operated locally within Craigmillar and Moredun libraries.
Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said:“With a series of city-centre events hosting Edinburgh’s talent across the summer, we wanted to get involved to support even more local performers and groups to share their talent with the local community.
“We also hope our donation to Tinderbox Collective will help more people discover or continue to pursue their musical talents.
“We’re incredibly excited for our first ever Summer Live event. If you would like to take part, or even just find out more information, we’d encourage you to get in touch as soon as possible as we expect the line-up to fill up pretty quickly.”
Fancy taking part? All you need to do is contact info@fortkinnaird.com with the following:
Your stage name and type of performance
How many people are in your group (maximum is 30)
What times/days you are available and how long your set is
Young adults (aged 18-24) are struggling with their mental health with 95 per cent feeling anxious in the last 12 months, and a fifth (21 per cent) experiencing these feelings all the time
● Generation dislocation – 70 per cent of young adults feel lonely even when around peers, friends, classmates, work colleagues
● 65% of young adults say musicians who have been open about their own emotional struggles are helping to destigmatise mental health – Billie Eilish, Lewis Capaldi and Selena Gomez are the most inspirational
A NEW survey shows a staggering 95 per cent of young people are struggling with their mental health.
The UK faces a mental health catastrophe as only 10 per cent of young adults love themselves completely, reveals blistering new research from Direct Line Insurance and mental health charity Mind.
Young adults are struggling with their mental health with 95 per cent feeling anxious in the last 12 months and over a fifth (21 per cent) experiencing these feelings all the time.
Almost half of young adults (46 per cent) have felt low often or all the time over this time period. Despite support services being readily available, more than one in twenty young people said that they feel uncomfortable discussing their mental health with anyone, 10 per cent of 18-year-olds not willing to speak about the topic at all.
Young people are experiencing a sense of dislocation, with almost three quarters (70 per cent) of young adults feeling lonely even when around peers, friends, classmates, work colleagues. They also have less energy than they did previously, 83 per cent saying this is true in the last 12 months.
When they do need a mental lift, 59 per cent of young adults turn to music to improve their mood and for a quarter (25 per cent) of this generation it makes them feel less lonely. Almost two thirds (65 per cent) of young adults say musicians are a force for good in opening discussions about mental health, with Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi seen as inspirations. Music can be a vital outlet, as half (50 per cent) of young people experiencing poor mental health find it difficult discussing this with others.
The survey was carried out by Opinium across 2,000 18-24 year olds.
To highlight the link between music and a positive uplift in mood, Direct Line and Mind have worked with mental health advocate and London-based rapper Marc Jones, who has over five million music streams, to produce a new track, Day by Day, which encourages young people to be open about their mental health. It is free to download across all major streaming platforms for the month of April.
The track, developed by Marc Jones, 30, is an inspirational track to encourage young people to love themselves and to highlight there are support networks when they are struggling. The track is produced by London-based producer, RP9, whose notable collaborations include Ed Sheeran and Big Narstie.
Sam Taylor, Marketing Director, at Direct Line said:“The mental health of young adults is incredibly important and many are struggling to navigate these complex times.
“Understanding the issues faced by a generation of young adults we partnered with Marc Jones an inspirational musician to develop a track encouraging young people to open up about their mental health, whether that’s in the car when the song plays on the radio or at home, with friends streaming the track.”
Stephen Buckley, Head of Information at Mind said: “We are deeply concerned by the findings of this research – the fact that only 10% of young adults love themselves highlights the urgent need for support and resources to help this young generation navigate the complex challenges they face.
“We are excited to be part of the efforts of Direct Line and Marc Jones in producing the track ‘Day by Day’ to encourage young people to open up about their mental health and seek the support when needed.”
Niamh O’Connor, 23, from Worcester, said:“From a young age music has always been a part of my life so when I was diagnosed with anorexia over six years ago and was hospitalised for the first time, I found a lot of comfort in music.
“Whenever I felt upset or anxious, I would sit down at the piano in the hospital and play. Music became the only thing that helped take my mind off everything that was going on in my life.
“I was never one to talk openly about my feelings, but my therapist helped me to open up by asking me to play a piece of music that reflected my inner thoughts.
“Now I am able to use my experiences to create conversations with friends and we discuss how song melodies and lyrics resonate with us. This gives us the opportunity to talk openly about our mental health and support one another through music.”
Marc Jones added: “The purpose of my music has always been to lift spirits and encourage young people. This new track I released with Mind and Direct Line does just this.
“I personally have always turned to music when I am feeling low, it really helps and so does having charities like Mind, for expert support.”
The track Day By Day is available to stream on all major streaming platforms. Please find it on Spotify here.
Table One: Top ten inspirational artists for young people
Rank
Music Artist
1
Billie Eilish
2
Lewis Capaldi
3
Selena Gomez
4
Eminem
5
Ed Sheeran
6
Taylor Swift
7
Adele
8
Juice World
9
Dave
10
Demi Lovato
About Direct Line
Starting in 1985, Direct Line became the first UK insurance company to use the telephone as its main channel of communication. It provides motor, home, travel and pet insurance cover directly to customers by phone or online.
Direct Line general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Direct Line and U K Insurance limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.
Mind, the mental health charity, provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. They won’t give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets both support and respect. mind.org.uk
Mind has a confidential information and support line, Mind Infoline, available on 0300 123 3393 (lines open 9am – 6pm, Monday – Friday)
Mind’s online mental health community Side by Side is a safe space where anyone aged 18 and over with experience of a mental health problem can share their story, connect with others, access Mind’s wider information and resources, and give support in return. Find out more at www.sidebyside.mind.org.uk
Today the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House launches a groundbreaking pilot programme for young musicians from underrepresented backgrounds. The new scheme will work with young musicians aged 18-25, prioritising engagement with young people from the global majority and other underrepresented backgrounds.
The scheme will provide essential mentoring tailored to the participants’ individual needs whilst enhancing skill sets, insight and training in the classical music field. The project is being delivered in collaboration with Black Lives in Music, an organisation established to champion diversity in the classical music industry.
Royal Opera House Music Director Tony Pappano said: “Working in any orchestra is a hugely collegiate experience and we believe it’s vital to assist and mentor young talent as they navigate the very beginnings of their career.
“Gaining access to organisations at the start of your career can feel daunting and overwhelming and we want to support, mentor and positively shape these very first experiences in a professional environment. This new pilot scheme will welcome young, diverse talent, helping them feel like they belong.”
Amelia Conway-Jones, 1st violin in the Orchestra of the Royal Opera Housesaid: “I’m so thrilled and proud that the orchestra are championing opportunities for musicians from diverse backgrounds through this scheme.
“It’s vital that we work towards a time when we as a group are truly representative of our community in London, and our artistic voice will be hugely enriched by the inclusion of musical voices from diverse backgrounds. As part of the orchestra’s Diversity Working Group, I’m really excited to be involved and to work with the mentees on their journey into the profession.”
Roger Wilson, Director of Operations at Black Lives in Music said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for young musicians from across the UK to continue their musical journeys.
“The project will help to level the playing field for all young musicians and enable them to realise their aspirations of joining the classical sector as professionals. The ROH mentoring project combines traditional mentoring with real opportunities to play alongside and learn from some of the best musicians around, this is a game changer!
“Initiatives like this will help to break down walls and build relationships. Black Lives in Music are excited to be working alongside the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in this hands-on approach to supporting change in the UK classical music sector.”
Thirteen musicians from the Royal Opera House Orchestra will mentor participants on a range of orchestral instruments. Recruitment for the scheme will be a simple process, reducing barriers to entry and re-thinking the application process so that it breaks with traditional norms and enables those interested to apply in the most accessible way possible.
Participants will be invited to give feedback throughout their experience, and beyond as they embark on their musical careers, to measure the impact of the scheme, with the aim of making the scheme a permanent programme attached to each Royal Opera House Season.
The ROH mentor programme is aimed at young musicians aged 18 – 25, with participants welcome from across the UK. The scheme aims to break-down any traditional barriers to classical music, broadening the available pathways into the industry and make a lasting impact on representation.
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House mentor scheme joins other programmes run by ROH which provide entry level pathways into the arts industry for young talent at the very start of their careers. The ROH Apprentice scheme has been offering sector-leading apprenticeships since 2007 with the scheme recently expanding to include positions in IT, Finance and Marketing.
Apprentices gain a relevant industry qualification and are guided by some of the most accomplished and recognised practitioners in the UK’s arts industry. 76 apprentices have graduated from the scheme since 2007 and 90% of those have remained in the creative industries forging successful careers.
The Jette Parker Artists programme has been running at ROH since 2001 and has launched the careers of over one hundred and fifty singers, conductors, directors and artists – many of whom had no direct experience and came from marginalised communities across the globe.
The daughter of a Scottish Pipe Major, whose famous tune pays tribute to those who fell in the Falklands, has spoken of the war’s lasting impact on her family.
On Saturday, (JUNE 18th), hundreds of pipers in Edinburgh and around the world will join in unison by playing “The Crags of Tumbledown Mountain” to mark the 40th anniversary of the ceasefire.
The tune was composed on the back of a ration pack by Pipe Major James Riddell while under fire during the decisive battle, in which eight fellow Scots Guards were killed. Shortly afterwards, he climbed to the top of the mountain to play it for the first time.
Musicians from across the UK, and as far away as Peru, New Zealand, and the Falklands, will play in unison at 11am on Saturday. This is part of a day of remembrance events, organised by Legion Scotland and Poppyscotland, in partnership with the Scottish Government and Armed Forces.
Veterans will also join a parade through the centre of Edinburgh, attended by Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Robert Aldridge, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans Keith Brown MSP, and heads of all three Armed Forces, before a service of remembrance followed by entertainment in St Andrew’s Square.
Forty years on, Pipe Major Riddell’s daughter Teri Newell said the tune still brings a tear to her eye, and brings back bittersweet memories of her father, who died in 1997.
She said that he had returned “a different man” after the Falklands, and there had been a lack of support for many veterans who had struggled with their experiences.
She said: “He seemed like a stranger, not my dad. He became more insular and never spoke about his experiences. I’m almost certain he had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but it wasn’t recognised at the time.
“There was a lot of support for service families, but very little for the men. There was that attitude that you kept a stiff upper lip and just got on with it.”
Born in Stonehaven, Pipe Major Riddell joined the Scots Guards aged 17, following in his father’s footsteps. He married his high school sweetheart, Pauline, and served in Malaya, Borneo, and Northern Ireland.
Teri, their only child, was 14 when he was sent to the Falklands, and living at Chelsea Barracks with other military families.
She said: “I was used to him being away, but this time it felt different. It was really quite scary. He was going off to war and I didn’t know if I’d ever see him again. Every day I would come home from school hoping there was something from Dad. But you just had to get on with life.
“When we heard about the ceasefire it was the most fabulous news. But then the next day came the announcement of the fatalities. My mum remembers that, almost in a heartbeat, they went from elation to immense sadness. It was surreal – we wanted to celebrate but then we had friends and neighbours who had lost their husbands and fathers.”
Pipe Major Riddell was part of the 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards who attacked Argentinian forces on Tumbledown Mountain on June 13th, which guarded the approach to the Falklands capital, Stanley.
They engaged in fierce, hand-to-hand combat for almost nine hours in dark, freezing conditions, before finally taking the stronghold. This led to the Argentinian surrender the following day.
A few weeks later, the families travelled to RAF Brize Norton to be reunited with the returning soldiers.
She said: “It was wonderful seeing my dad in the flesh again,” she said. “But he hardly ever spoke about what he’d been through.
“Later on, he told me he’d scribbled the tune on the back of a ration pack. He told me it just came to him. Things were obviously going through his head at the time, then it all came together.”
Pipe Major Riddell served for 28 years, leaving in 1991 with an exemplary conduct assessment. His comrades remember him as well-respected and protective of the pipers under his command, although he could be a tough task master.
But he found himself struggling to adapt to civilian life, and the family became estranged when Teri was in her 20s. He died of a brain tumour in 1997.
She said: “When he left the military, he found it a very hard transition. He had been a soldier for all his adult life and was used to that structure and following orders. I think being on his own and having to find a job was a very scary prospect.
“I only spoke to him a handful of times after that, but he kept my number. Then one day, I got a phone call saying he had passed away. I didn’t even know he had been ill. That was the worst day of my life.”
She now lives in Slough with her husband Eric and is proud that her father’s memory lives on through his music.
“It’s amazing that so many pipers will be playing it on Saturday, it really warms my heart. Whenever I hear it, it brings a tear to my eye and reminds me of him. He was never interested in recognition, he didn’t want to be in the spotlight. But his tune means a lot to people around the world.”
Hundreds of current and former servicemen and their families are expected to take part in Saturday’s parade (JUNE 18th), starting at 10:15am from Charlotte Square. It will be led by the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines and the Scots Guards Association Pipes and Drums, with the pipers’ tribute taking place at 11am.
There will be a service in St Andrew Square, jointly led by the National Chaplain of the Royal British Legion Scotland The Rev Karen Campbell and The Rev Angus Smith, former Padre to the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards who served in the Falklands.
This will be followed by performances by both military bands, Legion Scotland Sweetheart Amy Hawthorn, Stuart McLean, Juniper 3 and Ellyn Oliver.
Musicians, bands, artists and venues will be able to apply to a £750,000 Scottish Government fund to bring new and additional concerts to venues and festivals in Scotland next year.
Scotland on Tour will support the staging of concerts across the whole nation from between January 2022 and January 2023.
Funded by Scottish Government and organised by Active Events, its decision-making panel includes representatives from across the music industry, as well as Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, XpoNorth and South of Scotland Enterprise.
Participating artists, venues and festivals will be announced later this year.
Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “Due to the impact of COVID-19, I know many concerts from 2020 and 2021 have been postponed – leaving little opportunity for artists to perform new concerts in traditional venues or concert halls up until late 2022, or even spring 2023.
“So I am very pleased to announce Scotland on Tour, a fund to help artists, venues and the wider music industry by creating new concert opportunities across Scotland next year.
“The fund is not only an exciting opportunity for artists and venues, but also for Scottish audiences, who will have the chance to see the best of Scottish music right on their doorstep.”
Director of Active Events Lisa Whytock said: “The past 18 months have been exceptionally challenging for musicians and promoters around Scotland.
“This fund will allow new concerts from professional musicians to take place across the country, bringing world class performances to cities, towns and local communities whilst simultaneously supporting production companies and skilled freelancers in their delivery.
“We are extremely excited about the project and would like to wholeheartedly thank the Scottish Government for their investment.”
Head of Music at Creative Scotland, Alan Morrison, said: “At the height of the pandemic, Active Events applied to Creative Scotland’s Open Fund for a research project that would identify community partners and increase touring opportunities for musicians when restrictions finally lifted.
“This bold vision for recovery has blossomed into a new touring fund, supported by the Scottish Government, that will breathe life back into the live music sector across the entire country.
“It’s extremely encouraging to see how a seed that was sown in darker times is growing into a major year-long programme that will bring music fans and professional artists of all genres back together again.”
Further details will be announced soon as to how artists and venues can apply to the Scotland on Tour fund, which is expected to open for applications in October.
Registrations of interest to the fund can be recorded by sending an emailto info@scotlandontour.com
Breast cancer charity, Walk the Walk is calling on artists, singers and performers from across the country to take up the opportunity of performing on stage at The MoonWalk Scotland 2020.
Whether it is singing in a choir, a solo, playing in a band or doing a soft shoe shuffle – for one night only, the stage could be yours!
Perhaps your specialty is something completely different – this is your chance to perform on Saturday 6th June in front of a large enthusiastic audience of walkers at Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, before they set off on their MoonWalk Scotland challenge.
By being part of Stars on Stage not only will you be showcasing your talents to many people, but also motivating them before their midnight challenge commences, you will be making a difference to people living with cancer in Scotland.
Nina Barough CBE, Chief Executive and Founder of Walk the Walk said: “We are so excited to launch Stars on Stage at this year’s MoonWalk! We hope this encourages people from across Scotland to enter this night of opportunity.
“Open to anyone aged 10 and over, we want soloists, double acts, groups and troops to be part of what is going to be a fantastic evening which raises hundreds of thousands of pounds to support people living with cancer in Scotland. To find out more, visit our website www.walkthewalk.org.”
This year marks the 15th MoonWalk Scotland. Since the event started in 1996, it has raised almost £22 million.
Don’t miss your opportunity to audition for Stars on Stage at this year’s MoonWalk Scotland. Closing date for applications is Friday 3 April 2020.
