This winter, Edinburgh's Queen's Hall will be the epicenter of diverse musical and comedic festivities, celebrating new albums, legendary composers, and sensational performances. From Electric Six's bold new album 'Turquoise' to the evocative jazz renditions of Duke Ellington by the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, this season promises a vibrant tapestry of sound. The lineup also includes the soulful Callum Easter, the harmonious tunes of Heidi Talbot, and The Skids' iconic 'Days in Europa' tour. Whether it's a swing into Christmas or a laugh with top comedians, there's something for everyone.

A Melodic Winter: Unforgettable Performances at The Queen's Hall

Dust off your platforms, put on your flares and come and enjoy an unforgettable night with ABBAMANIA.

ABBAMANIA are widely regarded as the UK’s Top ABBA Tribute Show with countless sensational LIVE performances to their credit which has taken them throughout Europe and Asia.

Abbamania

The Queen's Hall

Phil Cunningham and his Christmas Songbook colleagues have been delighting audiences for the last 18 years. He is delighted to announce they'll be back at The Queen's Hall this December, for three shows!

Phil Cunningham's Christmas Songbook

It’s no surprise that Handel’s Messiah continues to draw audiences back year after year. There is nothing quite like it.

Although the Hallelujah chorus has become the work’s calling card, Handel wrote every note to impress and astound his listeners. Its choruses are as grand as anything Handel ever composed, the solo writing profoundly moving, the drama powerful and compelling. Performed ‘the Dunedin way’ as Handel would have first heard it, with a small orchestra, a team of twelve singers and soloists who step out from the chorus, there are few more uplifting ways to celebrate the festive season.

Messiah

Guided by Mr Handel himself, they’ll be whizzing through some of his greatest hits, with plenty of fun and games along the way. Suitable for all ages. With BSL interpretation. 

Children’s Messiah

Following the runaway success of their 'Sunday Lunch' YouTube series, and their critically acclaimed Tour of ’23, Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp are bursting out of their kitchen again, for the Christmas Party 2024 and hitting the road for an evening of classic rock in the company of two rock legends and their band.

Toyah & Robert

The award-winning Daniel Martinez Flamenco Company’s new album, ANDALUCIA, premiered at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall to a sold-out audience in February 2023. This stunning flamenco production, accompanied by a chamber orchestra, has captivated the audience and press.

Daniel Martinez Flamenco Company

Introducing PorkPie, Scotland’s 9 piece Ska Behemoth, a music force of nature that have been tearing up stages the length and breadth of the British isles in 2023.

PorkPie

Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik is one of the wittiest, happiest and most elegantly crafted of the composer’s works. Rediscover this sunny work with Maxim Emelyanychev, who surrounds it with rarities created around the same time.  

SCO clarinettists Maximiliano Martín and William Stafford shine in Franz Krommer’s Double Concerto, while Haydn transports us to a Caribbean desert island with his dramatic opera overture. Mozart’s friend Paul Wranitzky’s Symphony in D provides a suitably flamboyant finale.  

SCO 24/25: Eine kleine Nachtmusik

The country’s best comedians are coming to Queen’s Hall for a spectacular all-star festive show!

Catch a huge co-headlined show with the multi-award winning 'Live At The Apollo' favourite Sara Pascoe and 'Have I Got News For You' and Netflix sensation Phil Wang.

Sara Pascoe, Phil Wang, Rhys James, Jen Brister, and more: Live At Christmas

Celebrate the festive season in style with the vocalists and instrumentalists of Down for the Count  Orchestra, as they Swing Into Christmas!

This is a Christmas celebration like no other, as Down for the Count recreate the music of Nat ‘King’ Cole, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and many more in a luscious 28-piece orchestral setting evoking the sounds of the great Capitol Studios recordings. 

Swing Into Christmas

The Skids formed in 1977 in their home town of Dunfermline, Scotland by Richard Jobson, Stuart Adamson, Bill Simpson, & Tom Kellichan. After releasing an independent single the band were played by BBC Radio One's John Peel, supported The Clash in concert and then were signed to Virgin Records in 1978.

'Days in Europa' 45th Anniversary TourTHE SKIDS + SPEAR OF DESTINY

Heidi Talbot celebrated 20 years as a professional singer in 2020 and released a compilation album featuring tracks from her last five solo albums.

Her latest album ‘Sing it for a Lifetime’ was recorded during lockdown with some stellar musicians across several time zones. She has shared the stage and recorded with Mark Knopfler, Graham Coxon (Blur), Idlewild, King Creosote, Tim O’ Brien and Jerry Douglas to name a few. Heidi has been nominated for folk singer of the year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and the Irish Music Awards.

Heidi Talbot & Boo Hewerdine

F**k that accordion. Too damn heavy. God gave us guitars and organs and good looking boys on bass and drums to play with. A band that arrives on its own two feet.

Returning to The Queen's Hall as part of the Soundhouse Winter Festival, Callum Easter will have some saved up sunshine, pocketed as he passed through America’s deep south on a recent tour, to melt the frozen hearts of Edinburgh’s weather-abused audiences.

Callum Easter & The Roulettes

One of jazz’s greatest composers, Duke Ellington continues to inspire the SNJO. With music representing his fifty years as a bandleader, performed with vitality, swing and meticulous attention to detail, these concerts showcase this titan’s depth and diversity.

The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra presents REMEMBERING DUKE featuring LUCY-ANNE DANIELS

Electric Six tour their brand-new album 'Turquoise' to Edinburgh this November.

Five years has gone by since the last Electric Six offering and we’ve heard the chatter. “Electric Six just doesn’t have it anymore.” “Electric Six has really let me down.” “Gotye will have an album before Electric Six does.”

As we all know…talk is cheap. And now there’s a new Electric Six 

Electric Six

Securely ranked among Scotland’s most skilled and imaginative contemporary folk acts, Breabach unite deep roots in Highland and Island tradition with the innovative Scottish music scene.

Breabach

Celebrate the coming festivities with one of music’s most uplifting seasonal creations.

Originally conceived for Leipzig’s Christmas celebrations in 1734, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio retains all its joy and colour nearly three centuries later, in vivid musical depictions of the Nativity and the Shepherds’ adoration. The Oratorio’s resplendent choruses and intimate solo arias continue to inspire and delight today, whatever your personal beliefs.  

SCO 24/25: Bach's Christmas Oratorio

When the SCO’s outstanding Wind Soloists are joined by exceptional players from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the result is a grand wind ensemble of unparalleled richness and expertise.  

Join the SCO and RCS players for music of charm and opulence, from Scottish composer Helen Grime’s dramatic, virtuosic Elegiac Inflections to the sunny optimism of the Octet-Partita by Hummel, a contemporary and friend of Beethoven. Florent Schmitt was an associate of Ravel, and combines dreaminess and fantastical playfulness in his captivating Lied & Scherzo, while Caplet summons the mysteries of the Near East in the sensual evocations of his Suite Persane.  

SCO 24/25: From Scotland to Persia

Multiple Folk Award winning artist Bella Hardy started as a self-taught “fiddle singer”, performing at Cambridge and Sidmouth festivals from the age of 13.

Her debut album 'Night Visiting' established her reputation as a songwriter when her first original composition 'Three Black Feathers' earned a BBC Folk Award nomination.

Bella Hardy

The iconic singer songwriter takes to the road once more, armed with her new Studio album 'The Road Less Travelled'. 

A collection of 12 powerful songs packing a real punch, it runs the gamut of every emotion; from the raging banger Leaving, to the anthemic 'Superpower', to the exquisite and fragile beauty that is 'The Moon and I'. Horse has poured her very soul into this album. 

HORSE: The Road Less Travelled

'Golden Brown', 'Strange Little Girl', 'Always The Sun', 'Peaches', 'No More Heroes', 'Nice & Sleazy'...Sound familiar? All big hits, all great songs, all written and sung by Hugh Cornwell, the songwriter behind The Stranglers.  

Hugh Cornwell plus special guests eXTC

Bernard, songwriter-producer: Norman, a centrifugal force in TEENAGE FANCLUB; and James, songsmith supremo of LOVE AND MONEY.

They will play a selection of each other’s songs and will preview the first new material written together from their forthcoming album.

Bernard Butler, Norman Blake and James Grant

Join the Mystery Ensemble for an evening featuring the famous Antonio Vivaldi cycle "The Four Seasons" in the unique interpretation of contemporary composer Max Richter.


Tribute to Max Richter by Mystery Ensemble

Founded in 2019 in Berlin, the Leonkoro (‘Lionheart’) Quartet are one of the most exciting ensembles on the international scene.

Their many accolades include First Prize at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet

Competition and the Concours International de Quatuor in Bordeaux. Currently BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists, their programme includes the first of three of Mendelssohn’s wonderful string quartets presented by New Town Concerts this season.

Leonkoro Quartet

Children’s favourites Fischy Music are back, with an entertaining show full of songs bringing hope and humour!

Following their successful show that toured Scotland last year, the ‘Fabbydabbydee’ Fischy Band are returning to The Queen's Hall with dynamic actor Chloe Shimmin, to share more live music, songs, stories and sing-along fun.

Fischy Music Show

Direct from London’s West End, a sold out Worldwide tour and standing ovations at every performance, 'The Simon & Garfunkel Story' is back!

Using huge projection photos and original film footage, this 50th Anniversary Celebration also features a full live band performing all the hits including 'Mrs Robinson', 'Cecilia', 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', 'Homeward Bound' and many more.

The Simon & Garfunkel Story

Elegant, buoyant and gloriously witty, Mozart’s Flute Concerto puts paid to the composer’s spurious claims that he couldn’t stand the instrument.

In the hands of the SCO’s charismatic Principal Flute André Cebrián, it forms the sparkling centrepiece to a bold and richly flavoured concert conducted by the Orchestra’s inspirational Principal Guest Conductor, Andrew Manze.  

SCO 24/25: Mozart Flute Concerto

Fisherman’s Friends have nine albums to their name, two feature films, a stage musical, a book, a TV documentary, they’ve played for royalty and to tens of thousands of fans in sell-out tours year in year out... No, it’s not The Beatles, Take That or One Direction–it’s The Fisherman’s Friends!

Fisherman's Friends

He has outsold the likes of Beyonce in Ireland, performed for the Pope, sold out venues across the world; and is one of the most prolific touring artists in the UK. Now, as he releases his new album ‘Music Man’, Ireland’s top entertainer Nathan Carter returns to Edinburgh!

Nathan Carter

This is not a musical. Milton Jones is tone deaf and has no sense of rhythm, but at least he doesn’t make a song and dance about it.

He has more important things to discuss. Like giraffes…and there’s a bit about tomatoes.

You might know him from Mock the Week, Live at the Apollo or Radio 4. Or that time he stood for the Scottish National Party, fought a hard campaign, but in the end had to respect the wishes of the people of Cardiff.

Hamilton

Ron Sexsmith, the three time Juno award winning and internationally acclaimed songwriter, is set to perform three very special ‘AN EVENING WITH RON SEXSMITH’ concerts in Newcastle UK, Edinburgh Scotland, and Dublin Ireland this coming November 2024.

An Evening with Ron Sexsmith

Across The Universe is a celebration of The Beatles’ “studio years” 1966-1970. This unique show featuring a live band and orchestra is a must-see for all Beatles fans.

The music recorded by The Beatles from 1966-1970 represents some of the most groundbreaking strides in popular music history, in terms of songwriting ingenuity, recording techniques and the establishing of different musical genres within pop music. Many of these innovative recordings were never intended to be recreated live.

Across The Universe - The Beatles '66-70'

In his latest celebration of the greatest race on earth, Ned delves into the hidden mysteries of a mysterious roll of film from the 1923 Tour de France that fell into his possession during the Covid pandemic, and inspired his bestselling book "1923!”

Ned Boulting's Marginal Mystery Tour: 1923 And All That

Ross Wilson aka Blue Rose Code writes songs straight from – and to - the heart. They address universal themes in a deeply personal way and seamlessly blend folk, Americana, jazz, soul and pop influences into something truly unique. 

Blue Rose Code

Discover new sounds from Nordic nations and from closer to home, as northern Europe’s most exciting celebration of contemporary music comes to Scotland. 

Swedish composer Anders Hillborg’s 2021 Viola Concerto is a thrilling, high-energy ride through glistening sonic landscapes, and it’s performed by its dedicatee, the remarkable British violist Lawrence Power. Fellow Swede Madeleine Isaksson, meanwhile, transports us to the raw, ethereal beauty of her country’s far north. 

SCO 24/25: Borealis

A concert in aid of Ukranian music students is planned for The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, this coming October.

The principal performer will be the outstanding Ukranian pianist Anna Fedorova, founder of the Davidsbündler Academy in The Hague which supports young Ukrainian performers and students in flight from their home country. It relies entirely on her performance fees and fundraising concerts at the Academy.

A concert for Ukraine: Anna Fedorova

Join Mystery Ensemble for one of their most beloved programmes: soundtracks of the renowned film ’Interstellar,’ directed by Christopher Nolan, and brought to life by an incredible ensemble of musicians.

Hans Zimmer, the constant collaborator in Nolan's films and one of the greatest film composers of our time, is an Oscar winner, a two-time Golden Globe winner, and a three-time Grammy winner. Zimmer’s original compositions will be reimagined for a unique ensemble of instruments, combining electronics and acoustic instruments.

INTERSTELLAR: Tribute to Hans Zimmer by Mystery Ensemble

Leo has spent over five decades as an iconic singer and songwriter. 2024 will also see the release of his upcoming autobiography, Just A Boy. With this performance, Leo and his band bring boundless energy, exuberance and a hit packed show to some of his favourite venues across the country.

Leo Sayer - Still Feel Like Dancing?

When the pandemic began, and the world shut down, so did the process of creating for Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam. In its place was a domesticity that the singer hadn’t felt in a long time, and although it was filled with many rewards, making music was not one of them.

The journey back began with a recording session in Memphis to record a handful of Lori McKenna tracks for the EP 'Lori' with friend and producer Matt Ross-Spang. 

Iron & Wine

His passionate Violin Concerto – long neglected, but now championed – is an ideal example of his captivating, rhapsodic music that touches the emotions and inspires the intellect. 

British violinist Anthony Marwood continues his firm friendship with the SCO, taking the reins as both soloist and director in Coleridge-Taylor’s sublime Concerto. To complete this richly Romantic concert, Marwood offers the song-like beauty of Dvořák’s charming Romance, and the bold and bustling Second Symphony by the 18-year-old Franz Schubert. 

SCO 24/25: Coleridge-Taylor Violin Concerto

In the first years of the new millennium Russell Watson was at the peak of his success as a much-loved classical singer.

He had gone from humble beginnings, working in a factory making nuts and bolts in Salford, to singing in working men's clubs, to performing to stadiums filled with thousands of fans. But then tragedy struck.

In 2006 and 2007 he was diagnosed with two brain tumours. In the subsequent years he battled crippling treatment, lifesaving operations, HRT therapy and mental health struggles. Doctors told him he would never sing in the same way again.

Russell Watson: In Conversation

Following the huge success of their 60th anniversary tour in 2023, The Manfreds will be returning to The Queen’s Hall on Sunday 20th October 2024.

They are considered one of the finest and most respected bands from the 1960’s era. Their numerous hits were not just ‘pop’ songs, many were R&B based with an undercurrent of jazz - a very unusual but winning combination of playing style and substance. 

The Manfreds (feat. Paul Jones)

There are sung sonnets, limericks and musical jokes, and the thread that runs through it is the beauty of growing old. Despite the inconvenience, old age brings the contentment of LESS IS MORE. Your mistakes and big ambitions are behind you, nothing left to prove, and small things give you great pleasure because that’s what’s left. (“I was unhappy in college because it was a requirement for an intellectual, but then I went into show business and discovered that people won’t pay to be made unhappy, their kids will do it for free.”)

Garrison Keillor ‘Tonight’

Solo again, Britain’s most celebrated clairvoyant medium psychic from Peter Kay’s ‘Phoenix Nights’ returns with his brand new hilarious one-man stand up show

As well as venturing into the audience to offer his unique spirit readings, Clinton Baptiste comes armed with more tales from his extraordinary childhood; exposing himself in ways you could never imagine -the family that shaped him, the narrow minded who doubted him and the lovers that left him.  He regales us with stories of his recent work on a cruise ship, his spirit readings round the UK and not to mention the day to day life with his Greenlandic spirit guide, Taruak.

Clinton Baptiste: Roller Ghoster!

Blues-Rock’s Resilient Icon Walter Trout is riding a creatively formidable wave and heading into 2024 with an album raucous, wild and poignant in 'Broken'. The album features guest appearances from  powerhouse singer Beth Hart, Twisted Sister's Dee Snider and Harmonica virtuoso Will Wilde.

Walter Trout plus special guest Laura Evans

The Bathers returned in triumphant style last year with widespread acclaim for their 8th studio album “Sirenesque” released on the Last Night From Glasgow label.

The regular line-up of Chris Thomson, Hazel Morrison, Callum McNair and Nico Bruce are augmented by the Sirenesque String Quartet featuring Kobus Frick, Esté Visser, Rachel Davis and Maya Burman-Roy for this performance of the entire Sirenesque album.

The Bathers with special guests

The Tremeloes | Marmalade | Steve Ellis | Spencer James of The Searchers | Gerry's Pacemakers | Mamas and Papas

THE TREMELOES - Multi-Platinum Hit recording Stars of The 60’s, with Worldwide Hits such as “Silence Is Golden”, “Here Comes My Baby”, “Suddenly You Love Me”, “Call Me (No 1)” “ My Little Lady”, “Even The Bad Times Are Good” and Many More 

Sixties Gold

Snowgoose  are a folk/psych duo consisting of Anna Sheard and Jim McCulloch. Their third album, 'Descendant',  released  on Violette records  in October 2024, sees the pair expand their sound and delve deeper into a world of emotion and melody.

Snowgoose

Samantha Fish is known first and foremost for her fretwork. Her secret weapon, though, is her astute and nuanced storytelling. As one of the most dynamic blues forces in the world today, she continues to blaze a trail of her own. 

Samantha Fish

Legendary Scottish pop band Hue and Cry will be embarking on a special 40th Anniversary Tour in 2024 to commemorate their outstanding four-decade legacy.

Brothers Patrick and Gregory Kane are set to take fans on a nostalgic journey through their illustrious career, delivering unforgettable performances with their full band.

Hue and Cry

‘Favourite Songs’ is the band’s own salute to the potency of pop music in its ability to provide solace in times of need, and a place to retreat into with like minds. Jerky riffs, shimmering synths and a driving chorus propel ‘Favourite Songs’ to a place of collective joy, while singer Paul Smith’s reassurances that “all of our troubles will fade away” ring out in elation. As the first new music from the band in more than 18 months it's a song that finds them back in the mood for celebration, revelling in music's power to create the strongest of bonds and send the strongest of messages.

Maximo Park

Join Maxim Emelyanychev on his entertaining annual expedition to rediscover the sumptuous splendours of Baroque music – in the company of more recent composers who have been inspired by it. 

Alongside the dazzling virtuosity of Vivaldi’s dynamic D minor Concerto, Maxim delves into theatrical evocations of the roaring wind and dashing hunt in colourful movements from Rameau’s final opera. 

SCO 24/25: Baroque Inspirations

Best-selling author and comedy legend Michael Palin is going back on the road, with a new 13 date UK tour this autumn. There and Back - The Diary Tour 2024 will bring to life Palin’s upcoming Diary (called 'There and Back', published by Orion on 26 September) . 


Michael Palin – There and Back

1984 - Yes, a dystopian novel by George Orwell but also the year that Nik Kershaw was the UK’s biggest selling artist, languishing for some 62 weeks in the top 40 singles chart (no, really - 62 weeks - some singles overlapped) and releasing 2 platinum albums, 'Human Racing' and 'The Riddle'.

Nik Kershaw - The 1984 Tour

Multi-award-winning British pop star and actor Will Young is back with a new single today. ‘Falling Deep’. The euphoric track is the first single taken from Will’s forthcoming ninth studio album, 'Light It Up', which is out on 9th August.

Will Young

Edinburgh Fringe 2023 was a bumper 5-star review year for Ed. They came in thick and fast alongside outstanding critical acclaim for this exceptionally funny, ‘Best Reviewed Stand Up Show at Edinburgh 2023’ (British Comedy Guide). 

Ed Byrne - Tragedy Plus Time

‘Both of these players have the potential to conquer the world’ wrote The Times soon after Alina Ibragimova and Cédric Tiberghien – then both BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists – first played together in 2007.

Today they are described as the ‘partnership of choice’ for violin and piano repertoire. This concert will provide a rare opportunity to hear these virtuosic musicians perform a varied programme including Czech and Romanian masterpieces as well as Barry’s exciting Triorchic Blues written in 1990. The programme concludes with Beethoven’s brilliant, emotionally rich and romantic ‘Kreutzer’ sonata.

Alina Ibragimova & Cédric Tiberghien

The preeminent jazz vocalist of our time, Kurt Elling has cultivated a lasting partnership with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra over the past decade.

Spanning a diverse repertoire that encompasses the Great American Songbook, pop, rock, and beyond, Elling has collaborated with the SNJO on a series of captivating programs. From honouring the legendary Frank Sinatra to crafting the seasonal spiritual experience "Spirit of Light" and delving into profound philosophical themes in works such as "Apparition Bridge" and "Syntopicon," Elling's artistic vision knows no bounds.

The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra presents KURT ELLING - STEPPIN' OUT!

After the incredible success of her first stand up UK and Ireland tour, Serena Terry is going back on the road in 2024 with a brand new show and even bigger venues.

Serena will take audiences through the trials and tribulations of being a working mum, how she’s coping with a new career, mental health, marriage and perimenopause.

Presented by TEG

Serena Terry: All Tied Up

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut album 'Thunder, Lightning, Strike' The Go! Team have announced they'll be heading out on a tour of the UK where they'll perform the album in full.

The Go! Team

The incredible voices of William Towers countertenor, Eloise Irving and Hannah Fraser-Mackenzie, Sopranos, bring to life Pergolesi’s masterpiece, 'Stabat Mater'. Demonstrating Baroque music at its finest, this provides a fitting partner to the excitement of Henry Purcell’s 'Dido & Aeneas'.

Purcell 'Dido and Aeneas'

Fresh from 'Live At The Apollo', 'A League Of Their Own' and 'Have I Got News For You', Maisie Adam is heading back out on tour with a brand new show. 

She’s five years into her job as a comedian now, so she’s due an appraisal. Join her for the ultimate performance review,  where you’ll either see just why she was awarded Best New Act and nominated Best Newcomer… or, you’ll see someone who’s ready for “organisational restructure”. 

Maisie Adam - Appraisal

The band’s sixth album, 2009’s 'The Underfall Yard', featured vocalist David Longdon for the first time, and brought Big Big Train considerable critical acclaim and represented their belated commercial breakthrough.  

Big Big Train’s steady upwards trajectory continued with the success of the albums 'English Electric Parts 1 & 2', 'Folklore', 'Grimspound', 'The Second Brightest Star', 'Grand Tour', 'Common Ground' and 'Welcome To The Planet'.  

Big Big Train

We are thrilled to announce that Jane McCarry, Paul Riley, Mark Cox, Gavin Mitchell, and Sanjeev Kohli, who played Isa, Winston, Tam, Navid and Boaby the Barman in the hit comedy series, will be touring the UK and Ireland with an exclusive evening of fun, laughter an opportunity for the audience to ask anything they’ve ever wanted about the iconic 'Still Game'! 

Auld Pals - An evening with the cast of 'Still Game'

A player and composer of vibrancy and depth of personality, Zoe brings her background in classical piano as well as her Bengali heritage and studies with the inspirational jazz pianist JoAnne Brackeen at Berklee College of Music to bear on her highly individual style.  

Over the past twenty years she has won recognition including both a Mercury Music Prize nomination and the Album of the Year title at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards for her ‘Melting Pot’ album in 2006. She also won Best Jazz Act at the MOBO Awards in 2012 and the Impact Award at the Ivor Novello Awards in 2021.  

Zoe Rahman, solo piano and duets with Helena Kay

Together, Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham have established themselves as the epitome of excellence in the world of traditional music.

With their musical magic and quick-witted humour, they will pull your emotional strings one moment and have you falling off the seat with laughter the next! Join us to hear Phil Cunningham's astonishing dexterity on accordion, and Aly Bain's impassioned fiddle playing.

Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham

Founded in 2021, our studio of contemporary music has grown rapidly, with over 40 shows in the UK in its first year of performing. Our founder, Almin Alexander, has devoted more than 12 years of his life to the music industry and the development of cultural initiatives around the world, working with many outstanding musicians and musical groups.

The Music of Harry Potter by Mystery Ensemble

With artists hand-picked by guest curators Arusa Qureshi and Halina Rifai of We Are Here Scotland - staged in our intimate performance space - AMPLIFI presents an exciting opportunity to see new and rising artists in a setting designed to amplify their voices and put them centre stage.

Amplifi

‘Steeltown’ was the second studio album by Big Country which was recorded at ABBA’s Polar Studios in Stockholm with production from Steve Lillywhite. Released in October, 1984 Bruce Watson remembers the time very well, amid the nationwide strife back in the UK, fully in the grip of the Miners Strike: “We started work on Steeltown back in June 1984 at Abba’s studio. My Dad was a miner, so what we did was knuckle down to hard work for six weeks”.

Big Country 'Return To Steeltown' Tour

The host of ‘Tea With Me’ podcast is fresh off the back of a world tour and a record breaking run of 16 shows at Belfast’s Grand Opera House. 

Northern Ireland’s (self-titled) prince of comedy is returning with a brand new laughter packed show.

Shane Todd - Full House

Following the huge success of Ben Elton’s critically acclaimed sold-out UK tour in 2019, which marked his return to live comedy after a fifteen year hiatus, the undisputed godfather of modern stand-up is going back on the road with his new show – Authentic Stupidity. 

Ben says ’Since my last live tour a whole new existential threat has emerged to threaten humanity! Apparently Artificial Intelligence is going to destroy us all! Well I reckon our real problem isn’t Artificial Intelligence it’s good old fashioned Authentic Stupidity!

Ben Elton - Authentic Stupidity

The psychedelic and psychedelic-influenced festival’s second instalment will bring doom-psych-metal outfit Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, neo-psych-rockers Temples, Irish shoegazers NewDad, retro-indie-psych-pop three piece Juniore, psychedelic rock-and-rollers The Bug Club, and 'surf-noir' Seattle rock band La Luz to Edinburgh this September.

Indie-pop quintet Divorce, DIY trio HotWax, hazy-indie-infused folk singer-songwriter Molly Payton, dream-like alt-country singer and Lana Del Ray collaborator Holly Macve, synth-psych-punkers Crush Of Souls and Edinburgh’s psych-rock-shoegaze outfit Puppy Teeth complete the first wave announcement.

Edinburgh Psych Fest 2024

Experience the majestic music of the iconic Lord of the Rings films in a unique experience not to be missed. A delight for the whole family is guaranteed.

Performed by the modern orchestra Mystery Ensemble, the virtuoso playing of the musicians will instantly transport you to a distant fantasy world with elves, hobbits and dwarves! Music loved by millions of people gives you goosebumps. 

The Music of The Lord of the Rings

Twenty-five years ago, in 1999, The Magnetic Fields released their landmark album 69 Love Songs. Spanning three volumes, this concept album about love was conceived by baritone Stephin Merritt, who is often described as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of his generation. To mark the album’s anniversary, The Magnetic Fields will perform all 69 songs across two nights.

Unrequited love has provided ample material for the band, and Stephin Merritt’s lyrics are characteristically awash with wit and irony. For this album, Merritt set out to compose 69 songs about love using most of the known popular music styles, from punk to country to soul and jazz. In its first full performance in twenty years, the quintet will bring the album to life with cello, ukulele, keyboards and guitars, together creating the ‘richest canon of melodies since the Beatles’ (The Times)

The Magnetic Fields: Part Two

Twenty-five years ago, in 1999, The Magnetic Fields released their landmark album 69 Love Songs. Spanning three volumes, this concept album about love was conceived by baritone Stephin Merritt, who is often described as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of his generation. To mark the album’s anniversary, The Magnetic Fields will perform all 69 songs across two nights.

The Magnetic Fields: Part One

Famed for his comic operas, the Italian composer Gioachino Rossini retired from the art form by 1829, and by 1842, he appeared to have given up composition altogether. However, a move to the infinitely inspiring Paris in the 1850s led to a late flowering that culminated in his last large-scale work, ironically named the Petite Messe solennelle (1863). Neither petite nor solemn, Rossini dedicated it both to two close friends and to God, whom he hoped would enjoy it enough to ‘grant me paradise’.

Exploring Rossini with Thomas Quasthoff

Multi-award-winning Japanese violinist Midori returns to the International Festival with her long-time recital partner, American pianist Özgür Aydin. In a dazzling programme of youthful and innovative violin sonatas, Mozart, Gabriel Fauré and Richard Strauss all feature.

Midori & Özgür Aydin

Her writing process goes something like this: she drafts a film script, dreams up its soundtrack, then transforms it into a fully-fledged album. Sung in her unmistakable "spectral falsetto" (The Independent) and laced with improvised strings, synths and flutes, Khan’s protagonist-driven stories swing between the stuff of nightmares and vignettes of her own childhood.

A brand-new conceptual project brings Khan to the International Festival. Named after her young daughter, 'The Dream of Delphi' is her upcoming studio album stemming from her experience of motherhood during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the artist’s own words, the album is about "the conception, growing and birthing of this human being onto Planet Earth and the cosmic resonance of that."

Bat For Lashes

Nadine Shah has never shied away from tackling the political and the personal in her songwriting. Her discography maps emotional growth as she navigates the complexities of life and her relationships with those close to her.

Filthy Underneath, her fifth studio album, lays it all bare. Building on her musical world where she confronts the refugee crisis, gentrification and British bigotry, Filthy Underneath divulges intimate experiences of grief and rehab, magnified by a layer of cynicism. This album is a test of her musical versatility: lead single ‘Topless Mother’ takes a sardonic look at Shah’s experiences of therapy, sung over a driving beat, while ‘Greatest Dancer’ is a theatrical, gothic dance anthem.

Nadine Shah

Travel back in time to Dublin’s Smock Alley Theatre. It’s May 1742 and the eccentric musician Mr Charles is hosting a vibrant showcase of the latest musical fashions from across Europe.

The Irish Baroque Orchestra is one of the most charismatic groups shining new light on musical performance from centuries past. They are joined by their artistic director Peter Whelan, who is well known to Scottish audiences as the former principal bassoonist of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Irish Baroque Orchestra

Irish folk singer-songwriter Lisa O’Neill’s poetic and contemplative songs have earned her a reputation as ‘a modern artist tapped into the ancient’ (The New York Times). Her earthy voice conveys an affinity with nature, expanding into the constellations of outer space.

Lisa O'Neill

Quite simply one of the world’s greatest pianists, Pierre-Laurent Aimard has been a favourite at the International Festival for many years. With his remarkable power and clarity, he brings compelling insights to works from the earliest keyboard music to some of today’s most complex piano creations.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard

Following their win at the 2023 Carl Nielsen Chamber Music Competition in Copenhagen, the Kleio Quartet have rapidly soared to establish themselves as one of the most exciting young chamber groups globally.

They make their International Festival debut with a typically eclectic and innovative concert. Benjamin Britten wrote his 1933 Divertimenti as a student and based them on affectionate musical portraits of school friends. Their bright, sunny evocations offer an early glimpse into the composer’s musical imagination.

Kleio Quartet

Balimaya translates as ‘brotherhood’ in the Maninka language of West Africa. Underpinned by a shared sense of kinship and culture, the Balimaya Project imbues the folklore and history of Mandé culture, along with the energy of London, into the fabric of its music.

Founded by percussionist and virtuoso djembe player Yahael Camara Onono, the superband creates a soul-stirring style that is grounded in a very personal exploration of heritage and identity. Their debut album, Wolo So, celebrated the sheer vigour of the band, centring its collective polyrhythms and blazing frontline horns. Their acclaimed second album, When The Dust Settles, brought bandleader Camara Onono’s lived experience of grief and fatherhood to the fore.

Balimaya Project

Grounded in the innovative genres of grime, garage and R&B, Tirzah’s authentically raw lyrics and luxurious, electronically enhanced melodies are celebrated for transgressing the frontiers of pop music. The singer-songwriter was classically trained at the Purcell School for Young Musicians, where she excelled at playing the Celtic harp.

Tirzah

Seoul-born Seong-Jin Cho made waves when he won the International Chopin Piano Competition in 2015, aged just 21. He is now a piano superstar, celebrated for his sensitivity and exceptional technical command. His International Festival recital is a rare opportunity to experience his poetry and power up close in an intimate setting.

Seong-Jin Cho

Renowned UK jazz vocalist and multi-award winner, Claire Martin OBE, reunites with her accomplished Swedish trio, led by the exceptional pianist and arranger Martin Sjöstedt, for their latest collaborative endeavor - 'Almost in Your Arms' (Stunt Records).

Claire Martin with The Martin Sjöstedt Trio

Iranian-American musician Mahan Esfahani is a harpsichordist for the 21st century. With a lifelong determination to bring his instrument the modern-day prominence it deserves, he combines scholarly insights with dazzling drama in his performances of music old and new. He is the winner of several prominent awards for his playing, including the Wigmore Medal from Wigmore Hall, London.

Mahan Esfahani

'Nuc' was released by Mercury KX on 14 April 2023 and launched in Sheffield with Music in the Round and has since been named by The Guardian as a Top Ten Contemporary Album of 2023.

Ligeti Quartet performs Anna Meredith

The concert begins with Joseph Haydn’s radiant ‘Sunrise’ Quartet, nicknamed to mirror the slowly unfurling violin melody with which it opens. This is one of the composer’s loveliest chamber works, both rapt and playful. It is followed by the European premiere of Nokuthula Ngwenyama’s Flow, a multi-faceted composition inspired by the natural world and ancient spiritual traditions.

Takács Quartet

This show is based on a 3-hour phone call and exchange between Marlene Dietrich and Ute in 1988 in Paris.

After receiving the French Molière Award for her performance in Cabaret in Paris, Ute had sent a postcard to Marlene, who had lived at 12 Avenue de Montaigne since 1979, essentially apologizing for all the media attention comparing her to Marlene Dietrich. Ute was just at the beginning of her career in theatre and music, whereas Marlene looked back on a long, fulfilled life of movies, music, incredible collaborations, love stories and stardom.

Ute Lemper - Rendezvous with Marlene

British singer Ian Bostridge has long been celebrated as one of the world’s most perceptive interpreters of Franz Schubert’s compositions. Bostridge brings alive the composer’s achingly beautiful melodies. Edinburgh-born pianist Steven Osborne joins Bostridge on stage for one of the composer’s most visionary vocal works.

Ian Bostridge & Steven Osborne

Scottish violinist and composer Catriona Price creates cross-genre music, with a focus on making change through cultural exchange and artistic innovation.

Catriona Price & friends special guests Constant Follower

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, former winner of the BBC Young Musician Competition, joins forces with the pianist and composer Harry Baker. This wide-reaching concert explores the enduring inspiration of Johann Sebastian Bach and his impact on musicians across the ages, from Leoš Janáček to Bill Evans, and Lianne La Havas to Laura Mvula.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason & Harry Baker

With its fiery passions surging from icy evocations, Sibelius’ sole concerto is one of the most cherished works in the violin repertoire. SCO Conductor Emeritus Joseph Swensen has long been a committed and much-lauded Sibelian: he accompanies young, New Zealand-born Geneva Lewis – until recently a member of the prestigious BBC New Generation Artists project – in this intensely emotional masterpiece.  

SCO 24/25: Sibelius Violin Concerto

Among today’s leading authorities on Baroque music, British violinist Rachel Podger is also a superbly eloquent player, combining passion, elegance and richness in her perceptive performances, as both soloist and director.  

SCO 24/25: Bach's Brandenburg Concertos

From the Jam were formed in 2006 when Russell Hastings and Rick Buckler (ex-The Jam drummer), who were touring as The Gift, joined forces with Bruce Foxton (ex-The Jam bassist and songwriter), to form From The Jam. Russell Hastings has been the only frontman to work with both Rick Buckler and Bruce Foxton since Paul Weller.

From The Jam 'Setting Sons' Tour

Music to raise a laugh, or certainly crack a smile, in the playful hands of charismatic SCO Principal Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev.  

Multi-award-winning trumpeter Sergei Nakariakov is one of today’s most brilliant musicians, but even he is put through his paces by the madcap virtuosity of Jörg Widmann’s thrilling whirlwind of a trumpet concerto, Ad Absurdum. The same composer plays affectionate games with Beethoven in his zany Con Brio, while American minimalist John Adams reimagines classic cartoon scores in his flamboyantly virtuosic Chamber Concerto.  

SCO 24/25: Ad Absurdum

The Van Kuijk Quartet is an established presence at Europe’s top concert halls and their recording of Mendelssohn Opus 12 was selected by the New York Times as one of the ‘best classical music tracks of 2022’.

Edinburgh-born guitarist Sean Shibe is a true international star performing in major venues around the world. The Sunday Times wrote of him that ‘Shibe’s music-making is masterful, beautiful and convincing in every way.’

The Queen's Hall

19 - 22 Dec, 2024

Phil Cunningham's Christmas Songbook

Jan 9, 2025

SCO 24/25: Bach's Brandenburg Concertos

Jan 24, 2025

From The Jam 'Setting Sons' Tour

Jan 30, 2025

SCO 24/25: Ad Absurdum

Feb 3, 2025

Quatuor Van Kuijk with Sean Shibe (guitar)

Dec 20, 2024

Abbamania

19 - 22 Dec, 2024

Phil Cunningham's Christmas Songbook

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