Music meets mindfulness in Scottish Ensemble concerts

MINDFULNESS and music are being combined in the latest series of concerts by the Scottish Ensemble. The ensemble’s Breathe performances will take place in Inverness, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dundee on 25-28 October. The concerts will feature music by composers including Ludwig van Beethoven, Daniel Kidane, and Caroline Shaw. Led by guest director Tristan Gurney, and…

Read More

Andrew Fairlie Scholarship finalists named

THE finalists for this year’s Andrew Fairlie Scholarship have been revealed. The six finalists will compete in tests of their skills at the University of the Highlands & Islands’ (UHI’s) Perth College on 17 November. The winner will then be revealed that evening at The Gleneagles Hotel. Fairlie, who held two Michelin stars at his…

Read More

Glasgow Print Studio marks National Poetry Day

TO MARK National Poetry Day, Glasgow Print Studio is holding a preview tonight of a exhibition inspired in part by Scottish poet Sorley MacLean. Artist Ken Currie took inspiration for “Chunnacas na mairbh beò” – “The Dead Have Been Seen Alive” – from MacLean’s poem “Hallaig”, about the clearances on the Isle of Raasay. The…

Read More

Scottish hotels triumph in Conde Nast list

SCOTLAND’S hotels have taken four of the top ten spots at Conde Nast Traveller magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards, with Glasgow named as the UK’s friendliest city. The Fife Arms in Aberdeenshire topped the list of the best hotels outside London, with Edinburgh duo The Caledonian at number three and The George at number seven, with…

Read More

REVIEW: “South Pacific”

Kenny Smith reviews South Pacific at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. GROWING up, my parents’ musical tastes were more Gilbert and Sullivan than Lennon and McCartney, and definitely more Rodgers and Hammerstein than Chaka Demus and Pliers. So, I’ve always had an appreciation for a good musical, especially those from the Rodgers and Hammerstein stable,…

Read More

REVIEW: Native, Glasgow

Peter Ranscombe ‘goes native’ as he reviews an apartment-hotel in Glasgow city centre. MENTION the phrase “ocean liners” and a series of names trips off the tongue – The Titanic, The Queen Mary, The QE2. But how about The Caledonia, The Cameronia, and The United Kingdom? Glasgow’s often forgotten role as the home of the…

Read More

Scots language survey launched

A PROJECT is being launched today to map how Scots is spoken throughout the nation. The “Speak for Yersel” project, run by the University of Glasgow, aims to build up a picture of how Scots is used in different places. Jennifer Smith, professor of sociolinguistics at the university, said: “Lots of people say ‘Oh I…

Read More

Karen Dunbar presents ‘Good in Glasgow’ video podcast

COMEDIAN Karen Dunbar is presenting Good in Glasgow, a new video podcast created with Glasgow Girls Club. The podcast celebrates the good deeds being done around the Dear Green Place, and gives viewers the chance to join in too by supporting the people and organisations featured in the series. In the first episode of Good…

Read More

REVIEW: “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”

Kenny Smith reviews The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. HANDS UP – I have to admit, I’ve never seen the hit film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. However, I do know about it and its basic concept, which sees an eclectic group of British retirees travel to India to embark…

Read More

Jackie Bird is new National Trust for Scotland president

TELEVISION presenter Jackie Bird was appointed as president of the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) on Saturday. Members of the charity approved her appointment at the trust’s annual general meeting (AGM) in Glasgow. David Mitchell, who convened the AGM as deputy chair of the NTS, said: “Jackie Bird is already a committed friend to the…

Read More