Scottish Ensemble Announces New Dates and Puts Call Out To Artists Across Scotland

Scottish Ensemble is asking amateur artists from across the country to submit their work to be included in a curated exhibition which will form part of its Scottish Creations tour taking place in May 2022.

Developed in partnership with charity Creative Lives, Scottish Creations is a cross art-form initiative inspired by Scotland's Year of Stories 2022, aimed at re-establishing a meaningful connection with audiences after Covid-19, while also sharing the stories of communities and individuals across Scotland.

The ensemble is inviting artists local to each of its touring locations, or even further afield, to respond to the theme of storytelling through a range of artforms, from visual art, sculpture, poetry, creative writing, and photography, to drawing tapestry and wood carving, and everything in between. A selection of creative works will then be displayed at a pop-up exhibition at each venue on the tour, supplemented by a digital exhibition where works such as music, film, animation, and soundscapes will feature.

Celebrating and sharing the diversity and creativity of Scotland, Scottish Creations will take place in May 2022 at venues in Mull, Skye, Inverness, Shetland, Aberdeen and Dundee, with Scottish Ensemble performing a programme of iconic music, including a brand-new commission by Ailie Robertson, at each location.

Each performance will be followed by a more communal session showcasing the diversity of Scottish Ensemble's music-making and featuring smaller chamber groups, and a broad range of music genres. Audiences will be invited to explore the Creative Lives exhibition before the performance and during the interval, with submissions shared via a digital exhibition during and after the tour.

Robin Simpson, Chief Executive of Creative Lives, said:

"Creative Lives is delighted to be working with Scottish Ensemble to provide an amazing opportunity to highlight the important role creative cultural activity plays in local communities in every part of Scotland. The pandemic has reinforced how creative expression, socialising with friends and neighbours, and really appreciating the places where we live and work, form a vital part of our lives and an essential component of our wellbeing. This project will be a joyous celebration of Scotland, its people and their creativity in Scotland's Year of Stories."

Jenny Jamison, Chief Executive at Scottish Ensemble, said: "Scottish Ensemble relishes the opportunity to collaborate with artists from different traditions - doing so changes and enriches how we bring music to life. Recently, we were particularly inspired by the resilience of the UK's amateur arts sector during the challenging years we have faced, and with Scottish Creations we want to celebrate and showcase the huge amount of creative talent we know exists across the length and breadth of the country.

"The various lockdowns and travel restrictions linked to Covid-19 have also meant that many of us have spent the past couple of years exploring and rediscovering the Scotland on our doorstep, and it is this varied and personalised Scotland that we want to share with the nation.

"We are excited to launch this initiative in partnership with Creative Lives, a charity that plays such a vital role in supporting the creativity of so many communities across Scotland."

For more information visit: https://scottishensemble.co.uk/concerts/ and https://www.creative-lives.org/open-call-for-creativity-inspired-by-your-local-area

Tchaikovsky by Heart

Never shy of a challenge, Scottish Ensemble is setting out to perform the 30min Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings by heart.

Tchaikovsky's heartfelt work is considered one of the late Romantic era's definitive compositions and will be familiar to many through its use in film, ballet and TV from Balanchine's Serenade to the 2021 survival hit Squid Game.

Scottish Ensemble is interested in the impact playing this life-affirming piece from memory will have on the performance and the audience experience, perhaps allowing the players and listeners to connect more directly in the moment. And although listening and collaborating is always essential for Scottish Ensemble, by removing the music their reliance on each other will be heightened, strengthening their common sound and offering audiences the chance to hear a familiar work in a new way.

Preceding the Serenade, Scottish Ensemble performs Elgar's Introduction and Allegro, inspired by a bracing walk along the Cardiganshire coast, and Caroline Shaw's Punctum, an exercise in nostalgia, inspired by Roland Barthes' description of the "unexpected" in photographs.

Listeners who cannot join Scottish Ensemble in Edinburgh, Glasgow or Inverness in the middle of February (16-18) can tune in to a live audio stream of the Glasgow performance.

Further events taking place in the spring/summer will be announced shortly.

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