Scottish Opera opens 50th Perth festival

SCOTTISH Opera will open the 50th Perth Festival of the Arts on Thursday. The festival’s gala opening concert will feature sopranos Eleanor Dennis and Catriona Hewitson, mezzo-sopranos Catriona Morison and Lea Shaw, and baritone Jonathan McGovern. Scottish mezzo-soprano and winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Catriona Morison is making her debut with…

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Julie Hollis’ ‘Still Alive’ exhibition opens tomorrow

KIRKCUDBRIGHT painter Julie Hollis charts the emotional rollercoaster of undergoing breast cancer treatment during the covid pandemic – from diagnosis to all clear – in a new exhibition that opens tomorrow. “Still Alive” runs until 18 June at Kirkcudbright’s Made on Cloud 9 gallery. Her exhibition features 12 works using mixed media. Hollis said: “The…

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Rise Up festival opens in Aberdeen

ABERDEEN’S new Rise Up festival is underway, celebrating Black and People of Colour Creatives in the Granite City and the whole of Scotland. The weekend consists of performances, talks, workshops, and community spaces. It’s been curated by We Are Here Scotland and commissioned by Aberdeen Performing Arts. Ica Headlam, director of We Are Here Scotland,…

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Craft Central opens in Dunblane tomorrow

CRAFT Central, a multi-disciplinary arts venue, opens tomorrow in Dunblane. The new site is also home to the Central Scotland School of Craft (CSSC) and the Central Scotland School of Jewellery (CSSJ), which recently amalgamated. Together, they have taken over an empty shop on the town’s high street. Rebecca Wilson runs CSSC, while Jo Pudelko…

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Edinburgh’s Tradfest is back for 11 days of music

Edinburgh Tradfest returns this Friday with an 11 day programme of traditional live music at venues across the city. There will also be additional talks, dance and storytelling happening at the Scottish Storytelling Centre. Kicking off the Festival at the Assembly Rooms on Friday night is celebrated Highland fiddle player Duncan Chisholm and his band…

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A timely gift for a shoe tycoon goes to auction

A gold watch may be the ‘go to’ retirement gift for long serving employees, but when staff at Victorian shoemaker, Clarks of Kilmarnock, decided to honour their founder in 1880, they decided to take things a step further. As a mark of their respect for George Clark, the employees presented him with an impressive ‘skeleton’…

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There’s still time to see A Passion for Art

Time’s running out to see A Passion for Art: Matilda Hall, Collector and Curator. Matilda Hall has been a collector and supporter of Scottish art for more than 50 years, and a display of her collection is on show at the Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling, until Saturday, 28 May. As P.A. to the University of…

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Music legend’s botanical art in new exhibition

Scottish folk and blues legend Rory McEwen’s botanical art will be exhibited at Marchmont House as part of a celebration of his life and achievements. Family and friends will gather at the Borders mansion where McEwen spent his childhood in order to see the exhibition ahead of its public opening, and to celebrate his life…

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Sponsorship makes schools book festival free for all

The Edinburgh International Book Festival has announced that this year’s Schools Programme will be entirely free thanks to the generosity of long-term Lead Sponsor Baillie Gifford. In addition to all tickets being free, every child attending in person will receive a free book, and free online resources will be made available on the Book Festival’s…

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