Scotland’s singing voice takes centre stage across St Andrews

The 2021St Andrews Voices runs until Sunday and features a huge range of performances in venues across the university town.

The festival showcases performances across a variety of genres – from classical and folk to jazz and world music – as it marks a welcome return to live performance post-lockdown.

It features some of the finest singers from across the UK and beyond and incorporate its important community outreach work into the programme with a series of free workshops.

On Friday, award-winning and highly acclaimed Scottish jazz singer Georgia Cecile will herald the release of her debut album with a special performance from the stunning McPherson Recital Room in St Andrews University' s Laidlaw Music Centre.

Audiences can expect an incredible audio experience from this magical venue – the smallest in the world to feature a reverberation chamber in the ceiling.

On Saturday afternoon, the University’s McPherson Recital Room will come alive with the sounds of the exciting collective Saanjh, as they create a mesmerising soundscape exploring a woman’s journey through dusk.

Blending the atmospheric vocals of Ankna Arockiam, Edward Cohen’s colourful pianism, and Hardeep Deerhe’s virtuosic tabla, this collaborative multi-sensory performance will see cultures and eclectic artistic influences merge to captivating effect.

Saturday evening sees celebrated Scottish Gael Mary Ann Kennedy complete an epic journey of musical discovery with a stunning concert at Laidlaw Music Centre.

The project entitled Triall - Gaelic for journey - saw Mary Ann follow in the footsteps of St Columba and complete a pilgrimage that has taken her across the breadth of the country in recent months, from Iona to St Andrews.

Dunedin Consort take to the stage of St Andrew’s Holy Trinity Church. In the run up to COP26, this commission will explore music’s relationship with nature and look at how the arts can both reflect and inspire environmental concerns.

Amanda MacLeod, festival director, said: “There is something for everyone to enjoy across the five days and we hope music fans from Fife and far beyond will join us for a special few days of musical celebration.”

https://www.standrewsvoices.com/festival

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