From Beethoven to beach cleans: East Neuk Festival is Back

February 7, 2020 | Culture

Scotland’s East Neuk Festival is to return later this year.

From Wednesday 1 July – Sunday 5 July, with an eclectic range of concerts and events in intimate locations nestled amongst the fishing villages of St Monans, Anstruther, Kilrenny and Crail, the East Neuk Festival will take audiences on a musical adventure in beautiful and atmospheric locations along the Fife coastline.

Amongst the host of internationally-renowned artists travelling to Scotland’s remote East Neuk coastline this summer are old friends of the festival making welcome returns.

South Korean pianist Yeol Eum Son will open the 2020 festival. The Tallis Scholars will return to perform Arvo Pärt’s powerful and rarely-performed Kanon Pokajanen (Canon of Repentance) for the very first time. Welsh pianist Llŷr Williams will be back for two recitals.

Two of the world’s most exciting young string quartets – the Castalian and Calidore quartets – will also be coming again. Rarely do quartet and orchestras play together but in a magnificent close to the festival the Castalian Quartet and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra will be joining forces.

Beach cleans along Fife’s coast have also been organised that will then turn collected rubbish into musical instruments for ENF’s Big Project culminating in a 100-strong ‘Fantastic Plastic Parade Band’ in partnership with The Scottish Fisheries Museum and Cellardyke Sea Queen Festival.

Richard Wemyss (white shirt) and Ellie Deas from the Cellardyke Sea Queen Festival join composer and instrument maker Graeme Leak to turn beach rubbish into musical instruments (Photo: East Neuk Festival)

Festival director, Svend McEwan-Brown, said: ‘ENF’s programme this year began with rubbish – literally! We are a coastal festival and I am delighted that composer and instrument maker Graeme Leak will be leading our Big Project to clear East Neuk beaches then turn some of what we uplift into brilliant instruments to play.

‘This year is also a time to relish what enduring relationships can bring to a festival. Every single event at ENF is unique and curated – something we are all proud of – I hope that there’s something to delight every kind of music lover.’

The Big Project will unite professional artists with amateur, local performers and musicians to shine a spotlight on ocean pollution and the unwelcome rubbish which contaminates food chains and washes up on beaches, even along Fife’s lovely golden stretch of sand. ENF has joined forces with the Scottish Fisheries Museum, Plastic Free Anstruther and the Cellardyke Sea Queen Festival to respond to the crisis.

Community groups, families and individuals can join beach cleans along the Fife coast over the coming months. Plastic pollution collected will be transformed into wind and percussion instruments in workshops led by veteran junk-instrument maker and music leader Graeme Leak. The project will culminate in the creation of a ‘Fantastic Plastic Parade Band’’ of over 100 people who on Saturday 4 July will join Cellardyke’s famous Sea Queen Festival.

Selected concerts throughout the festival will be recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 3, bringing the festival’s concerts to a global audience of more than 2 million listeners.

For more information about the 2020 Big Project and how to sign up, visit www.eastneukfestival/fppb