Scots Opera Project Return To Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Explorers Garden For A Double Bill

After last year’s successful run of the Scots language version of the opera Dido and Aeneas, the award-winning Scots Opera Project are set to make a welcome return to Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s  Explorers Garden when they will stage between 28 August and 14 September a double bill of the Celtic folk opera The Seal-Woman and a Scots Language version of Charpentier's chamber opera Actéon.

On an uninhabited islet in the Western Isles of the Scottish Hebrides, an old crone or ‘Cailleach’ sings of local legends of seals that turn into mortal women. The voices of a Seal-Woman and her Seal-Sister are heard in the distance. Fishermen approach the island. The Islesman recalls a Seal-Woman he has seen before, and when she and her sister appear he keeps hold of their sea-robes, without which they cannot reassume their marine form and will only return those of the sister.

The Seal-Woman which was first performed in 1924 is based on the folk legend of the mythical Selkie and is inspired and created from songs of the Scottish Hebrides. 

The Seal-Woman features some well-known Scottish favourites such as An Eriskay Love Lilt, The Seal Woman’s Sea Joy and Sea Sounds, making this the perfect opera for newcomers and seasoned opera goers alike.

Experience an enchanting reimagining of Charpentier’s Actéon in the breathtaking surroundings of the Explorers Garden at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Performed in a Scots translation, this promenade garden production invites audiences to journey through the mythic tale of Actéon, the hunter who becomes the hunted, set against the lush natural beauty of the garden.

With a unique musical soundscape featuring clarsach and violin accompaniment, this intimate and immersive performance breathes new life into the Baroque masterpiece.

David Douglas of Scots Opera Project said, "We are absolutely delighted to be returning to Pitlochry Festival Theatre this year with not one, but two very special productions," said "The Seal-Woman, recently nominated in the Rediscovered Work category at the 2025 International Opera Awards, is a gem of an opera that deserves to be heard far and wide—and there’s no better place to share it than the beautiful outdoor amphitheatre at Pitlochry. We’re also thrilled to present Actéon in a new Scots language translation, as a promenade garden opera that invites audiences into a rich, sensory experience of nature and music. These works speak to our cultural heritage and offer something truly distinctive to audiences—we can’t wait to share them."

Both productions will be performed by former Scottish Opera Emerging Artist and BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competitor mezzo-soprano, Sioned Gwen Davies; Ayrshire tenor, David Douglas; Perthshire soprano Colleen Nicoll; Austrian Mezzo-Soprano, Ulrike Wutscher and completing the cast will be former Scottish Opera Emerging Artist Baritone Colin Murray.