National Chamber Music Day 2018

We’re pleased to announce that National Chamber Music Day will take place on Saturday 15th September 2018, celebrating the Year of Young People! 

In keeping with the celebration of the contributions that young people make to Scotland, our poster was designed by Victoria Lopez, a young artist based in Glasgow (you can see more of her work at https://www.facebook.com/Faagotina/). 

Stay tuned for more information about the events happening on the day, including free and family-friendly chamber music concerts and workshops. With events all over Scotland, from the Highlands and Islands to the Borders, there’s bound to be something planned at a venue near you! 

Take Part in National Chamber Music Day

On the 15th of September, EMS will host National Chamber Music Day 2018: the event which promotes chamber music throughout Scotland! We’ll be filling the streets with the sound of chamber music by putting on free, impromptu concerts for members of the public across the country. 

This year we will be celebrating Year of Young People 2018. We’re organising a day packed full of chamber music performances for young people and their friends and families, as well as creating opportunities for young people to organise and perform in their own National Chamber Music Day events.

All Scotland-based chamber music ensembles are invited to perform for this one-day event. Each ensemble will be asked to perform either two or three short public recitals during the day, and there will also be opportunities to participate in EMS Learning events and side-by-side performances.

Email info@enterprisemusicscotland for more information and an application form. Completed forms needs to be submitted by 5pm Monday, 7th May 2018. 

Help us make NCMD 2018 a huge success!

New Staff

EMS is delighted to welcome our new Administrator, Haley Barclay! Haley undertook her Master of Music in flute performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London, and has studied under Margaret Campbell, Shivhan Dohse, James Galway, and Jasmine Choi.

 As a freelance flutist, Haley has performed with many orchestras in and around Cambridgeshire and East Anglia, Kansas City, and St. Louis, Missouri. She has only recently relocated to Glasgow, and when she’s not playing her flute or doting on her rescue cat, you’ll most likely find her with a sledgehammer in hand, helping her husband renovate their 100-year-old home.  

 “I’m really excited to be involved with EMS, and am so happy I’ve been given this opportunity! As a musician, I understand how important the organisation’s work is—bringing chamber music to the general public, increasing access to music education, and providing professional development opportunities for musicians—and I’m thrilled to be a part of this great group of people who are actively making a difference both within classical music and in the wider community.”

Scottish Chamber Music Showcase

EMS are excited to announce that we’ll be hosting a showcase for Scottish chamber ensembles on Saturday 1st September, 2018 at The Tolbooth, Stirling. 

The showcase will be open to our network of over 70 Scottish chamber music promoter organisations and is a great opportunity for any ensembles looking to perform or tour around Scotland.

We’d like a variety of established and emerging ensembles to participate. Successful applicants will be given a 20-minute showcase slot, during which they can present their performance in whatever way they wish. There’s no fee available for this professional development opportunity, but all travel expenses agreed upon in advance will be reimbursed by EMS. 

The deadline for applications is Monday 7th May, 2018, so don’t delay! If your ensemble is interested, head to our advert on Creative Scotland, or email [email protected] for an application pack. 

Coorie Doon 2018

For our latest Coorie Doon project, we went back to Rachel House Children's Hospice so their staff and our amazing creative team could work with families to create a song for their child being cared for in the hospice. Click the link and head over to our SoundCloud page to hear all the songs from this session: https://soundcloud.com/enterprise-music-scotland/sets/coorie-doon-rachel-house-2018

Meet the Promoters

At our annual Tours Planning Conference, we met with our promoters from Arran Theatre & Arts Trust, Skye Chamber Music, Strathearn Music Society, Linlithgow Arts Guild, and Classical Music Live! Falkirk to chat with them about their experiences promoting chamber music and why they do it.

Video credit: nomiddlename.co.uk

New Music and Film Co-Commission.

Enterprise Music Scotland is delighted to announce a special co-commission project with Music in Peebles, to create new music and film in response to the environmental issues impacting on the Peebles community. We will commission Peebles born composer, Esther Swift to compose a new work for harp and string quartet, taking inspiration from the local community and issues of flooding and it's impact on the people there. Filmmaker, Tom Swift, also of Peebles, will create new film alongside the new music. Esther, Tom and the Brodick Quartet will première the work at Eastgate Theatre, Peebles on 2nd Spetmeber 2018.

Esther says “I've always been really inspired by nature in my compositions and try to interweave natural patterns and sounds into my minimalist, folk, jazz and dance inspired writing style. This project is a chance for me to delve into the complex and relentless sound world of water using string quartet, voice and harp.”

Music in Peebles is delighted to be partnering with Enterprise Music Scotland in the co-commissioning of a new work by Esther Swift. This is our first venture into commissioning, and so we are particularly thrilled to be working with Esther who is not only a hugely talented and versatile musician and composer, but also hails from Peebles. Our shared love of our local community, and interest in the environment more widely, made these natural twin themes for the new work, and Esther's musical responses to these themes will be further enhanced by a visual element, provided by Esther's film-maker brother, Tom. This is very much a project 'Made in Peebles' and we can't wait for the first performance here in September! - Music in Peebles.

Coorie Doon Spring Project 2018

Rachel House Children’s Hospice, Kinross

We are very excited that our Coorie Doon project is taking place at Rachel House Children's Hospice again next week! Families will work with our amazing creative team and staff at Rachel House to create a song for their child being cared for at the hospice.

The Coorie Doon team will comprise of composer, musician and music educator Dr Rachel Drury, writer Martin O’Connor, traditional vocalist Ainsley Hamill, and Scottish harpist, composer, singer and song-writer Esther Swift. Artist Katharine Barrington will also work with the families and create hand painted illustrated lyrics for the songs.

Music Education Matters 2018 Further Session Announcements

We are delighted to announce the final two #MEM2018 sessions.

Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra’s Godchild Project

Annika Kukkonen, producer of Education, will introduce the Godchild Project of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra which aims to offer families a shared experience and awaken a love of music. Believing that the best way to secure a bright future for classical music is through the extensive involvement of children and through collaboration, The Godchild project sees the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra invite an entire age group, most recently babies born in 2012, to be its godchildren. The programme offers family concerts and has involved 3400 families since its inception, engaging with grandparents, parents and siblings as well as the “godchildren” themselves. Having been nominated for the Classical: NEXT 2018 Innovation Award, the project has gained visibility in the media and has also developed the image of the orchestra among Helsinki’s Citizens.

Composition & Digital Technologies

Dr OIiver Searle from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Peter Sparkes will discuss their project 'Technophonia' which was commissioned by Drake Music Scotland to highlight the musical talents of young people with disabilities using inclusive music technology.

A number of technologies were utilised in the project (e.g. Skoog, Soundbeam, Brainfingers), with a view to introducing participants to new musical performance, and the development of digital instruments within a live, acoustic setting. An ensemble was created especially for the project, from a group of young people playing acoustic and electric instruments, giving the opportunity for individuals from a range of backgrounds to perform, learn and interact with their peers. Since the completion of Technophonia (which was the recipient of a PRS 20x12 New Music Award, and part of the cultural Olympiad that year), the work begun has impacted directly upon Oliver’s teaching at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, with the formation of a new course component Composing and Creative Music Making, available to students from a wide variety of disciplines.

Music Education Matters 2018 - Further Session Announcements

We are delighted to announce three more #MEM2018 sessions.

Feversham Primary Academy - Naveed Idrees and Jimmy Rotheram

Feversham Primary Academy Head Teacher Naveed Idrees and Music Co-ordinator Jimmy Rotherham will share their journey in guiding the school from special measures to the top 10% of schools in England by championing the arts in education and embedding music and art into every part of the school day. Jimmy and Naveed will be discussing their implementation strategy and the transformative effects music has on all aspects of child learning including social skills and wellbeing as well as academic development.

HALLÉ4BRASS -  Ewan Easton MBE

Music educator and principal tuba of Manchester’s Hallé Orchestra, Ewan Easton will be discussing his pioneering work with the award-winning project Hallé4Brass. Established in 2004, Hallé4Brass works with Thorn Cross Young Offenders Institute offering prisoners the opportunity to learn, read and play music through brass instrumental lessons and for many of the participants involved, a turning point in their journey towards rehabilitation.

Body Percussion - Owen Gunnell, Children's Classic Concerts

Since graduating from the Royal College of Music with first-class honours, Owen has enjoyed a hugely varied and successful career including performing as one half of the celebrated percussion ensemble O Duo who have performed in concerts all over the world. 

The duo are also artistic directors/performers/presenters for Children's Classic Concerts in Scotland, through which they have delivered inspirational performances to over 25,000 children. 

Owen will lead attendees in a body percussion session providing practical training for everybody to get involved in! 

Earlybird Tickets for £35 available here

Administrator Vacancy

We are looking for an Administrator to join to EMS Team. 

Part-time (0.4 level: 2 days per week) Fixed term post – 1 year

We are looking for a candidate with excellent administrative and communication skills to work with a wide range of people (management team, promoters, musicians and others) to provide core administrative support for EMS.  The candidate will be highly motivated, organised, efficient, and ideally, with knowledge of classical music in Scotland. We value imaginative staff members who can bring new ideas and energy.

For further information on the post and details of how to apply, please visit 

http://www.enterprisemusicscotland.com/about/vacancies/

Deadline for applications is 5pm on 28th February 2018.

Interviews are currently planned to take place on Monday 12th March 2018.

The position will be available to start from late March 2018.

MEM 2018 Session Announcement #3

Music, Gender & Social Change with Cecilia Björck

We are very pleased to make our third #MEM2018 session announcement. Cecilia Björck, Senior Lecturer from the University of Gothenburg works in the department of Education, Communication and Learning. She will be talking about her research which has been focused on understanding the relation to young people's engagement with popular culture, especially concerning aspects of gender, equality and normalization. 

Cecilia is a senior lecturer with focus on youth research at the Department of Education, Communication and Learning (IPKL). She teaches and supervises students at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Her background includes teaching music in school at primary, secondary, college and university level. In 2011, Cecilia completed her PhD and wrote her thesis in music education with the title Claiming space: Discourses on gender, popular music, and social change. “The study shows that the expression ‘to claim space’ ("ta plats") is central in discussions about gender equality work in music. But what does it mean to ‘claim space’? Are there different ways of claiming space? And what might happen if you claim space?” 

Tickets available from Eventbrite.

MEM 2018 Session Announcement

Educational Psychology with Kristian Steenstrup

We are very excited to make our second #MEM2018 session announcement. Professor Kristian Steenstrup from Denmark will be talking about his discoveries of Educational Psychology and neuroscience that bear on learning, practicing and the mental aspects of performance.  He will also discuss aspects of Performance Anxiety and how deep practice and performance preparation can lead us on the road to peek performance.

Professor for trumpet at the Aarhus University and regarded one of the finest music pedagogues of his generation, Kristian Steenstrup is regularly invited all over the world to give workshops and masterclasses with the major orchestras and music schools to help students and professionals improve their playing technique.

Tickets available from Eventbrite.

MEM 2018 - Session Announcement

Music and Mindfulness with Lee Holland and Chloe Homewood-Allen

We are delighted to make our first #MEM2018 session announcement. Lee Holland and Chloe Homewood-Allen will draw upon their experience to discuss mindfulness for musicians and the practice of mindfulness within music education. There will also be “drop- in” sessions available for anyone wishing to practice mindfulness techniques for themselves.

Lee Holland: Originally from London, Lee is a musician and Performance Coach based in Scotland. Alongside her performing, Lee studied for a Masters In Performance Psychology from the University of Edinburgh and trained to become a Mindfulness practitioner through the Mindfulness Centre for Research and Practice, Bangor. Most recently she trained as an International Coaching Federation (ICF) affiliated coach gaining a certificate in Personal Development Coaching through Full Circle Development.  Lee is currently a visiting lecturer at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and sees individuals on many aspects of performance psychology through her business LH Performance Coaching.  

Chloe Homewood-Allen: Chloe is on The UK Network of Mindfulness Teacher Training Organisations list as an approved MBSR and MBLC teacher. In 2011 she co-founded “Mindfulness Today”, and latterly started her own social enterprise “Mindfulness Glasgow”, to meet the growing need for mindfulness interventions in Scotland and beyond. She is currently a Lead Tutor and Supervisor for the Mindfulness Association, facilitating on the Glasgow One Year Mindfulness and Compassion Training Programmes, tutoring on their teacher training courses and supervising mindfulness teachers in both one to one and group settings.

Tickets available from Eventbrite. 

Music Education Matters 2018

Friday 18th May 2018 | Glasgow Royal Concert Hall | 9.30am - 4.30pm            

We are pleased to announce that Music Education Matters 2018 will be taking place in May 2018.

This one-day conference includes talks, workshops, networking opportunities and interactive sessions with leading professionals/organisations in music education.

We will be releasing further information on speakers and sessions soon which will cover a wide range of topics relevant to practitioners from all areas of music learning:

Ensembles | Primary & Secondary Music Teachers | Arts Organisations | Community Musicians | Local Authorities | Composers | Instrumental Instructors | Collaborators | Additional Support Needs Teachers

Have a look at our video from the previous Music Education Matters! https://vimeo.com/174485236

Tickets are available via Eventbrite where you can get your early bird discounted ticket.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/music-education-matters-2018-tickets-42034030918?aff=es2

£25 concessions 

£35 early bird rate (up to 30th March)

£45 full price

To keep up to date with our latest news on this event, please visit our website http://www.enterprisemusicscotland.com/learning/education-matters/

Music Education Matters is supported by Creative Scotland's YMI Strengthening Youth Music Fund.

Residency Project 10th Anniversary Concerts

To celebrate 10 years of supporting musicians and commissioning new music through our Residency Project, Enterprise Music Scotland is hosting two exciting events.

On Saturday 18th November, we will be welcoming audiences to Renfield St Steven's Parish Church in Glasgow for two very special concerts featuring Residency Project alumni as well as two new cross arts premiers recently developed at EMS Creative Exchange sessions. 

Alison McNeill (voice) & Sasha Savaloni (guitar), both graduates of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, will feature in our first concert of the evening alongside Scottish based poet Marjorie Lotfi Gill. This music and poetry performance will look at themes of pilgrimage and the influence of Persian poetry. The programme features the Glasgow première of EMS commission 'Four Attar Songs' by recent British Composer Award 2017 Nominee, Stuart MacRae, and poetry by Marjorie Lotfi Gill as well works by Stephen Goss and Marco Ramelli. 

Residency Project alumni and recent winners of the Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition, the Maxwell Quartet, will take to the stage for our second concert of the evening. This performance will feature the world première of a new collaborative work by composer Colin Broom and visual artist Heather Lander. The programme will also include previous EMS commissions for the quartet by David Fennessy and Scottish Album of the Year 2016 winner, Anna Meredith. 

These events have been supported generously by PRS for Music Foundation, Hope Scott Trust, Glasgow Life and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

You can follow us on twitter @EMusicScotland for updates on the event and Facebook @enterprisemusicscotland.

Creative Exchange Autumn 2017

From the 30th October to 2nd November, two Scottish based chamber music ensembles will be heading to the scenic rural Argyll to participate in the second EMS Creative Exchange of 2017. This Creative Exchange project will also involve Colin Broom and Esther Swift who are both Scottish based composers and for the first time we will have a visual artist, Heather Lander. Supported by EMS, they will spend a few days working on their creative practice, collaborating with one another and topping up on some inspiration by soaking up the beautiful views that surround Crear House.

We’re very excited to announce the ensembles taking part…

Alison McNeill & Sasha Savaloni 

Maxwell Quartet

The Maxwell’s will be spending their time at Crear working on a new EMS commission of a collaborative work by Colin and Heather. This work will be premièred in Glasgow on 18th November 2017 at our Residency Project 10 Year Anniversary Concert. Tickets for this performance can be bought here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/residency-project-anniversary-concerts-tickets-38501056697?aff=ehomecard

Keep up to date with the latest from our Creative Exchange ensembles on Facebook and Twitter or -

Find out more about the Creative Exchange and other opportunities for chamber music ensembles by visiting our website.