Dunfermline date for sax maestro Tommy Smith

Tommy Smith plays Dunfermline Abbey on September 8, 2019.

Leading Scottish saxophonist Tommy Smith OBE will fulfill a long-held ambition when he plays a solo concert at Dunfermline Abbey on Sunday, September 8.

As a keen Scottish patriot, Smith, who received his medal from Her Majesty the Queen at Holyrood Palace in July after being awarded the OBE in the New Year Honours, is well aware of the Abbey’s status as

the burial place of Scottish kings, including Robert the Bruce, David l and Malcolm lV.

In 2016 Smith self-funded the recording, production and release of his Modern Jacobite composition, an expression of his pride in Scotland and its history, which he performed with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

“I’ve played concerts in Dunfermline with various groups before and it’s always been in my mind while I’ve been there that the town was once the capital of Scotland,” Smith said.

“For a long time I’ve thought about what it would be like to play unaccompanied in the Abbey and to use the acoustics as part of the performance.

“I’m really pleased that this is now going to happen.”

Smith’s concert will be the closing event at the Outwith Festival, which opens on September 3, and follows a series of solo performances the saxophonist has given in recent years.

He’ll be playing jazz ballads and folk tunes and possibly improvising some new melodies on the day.

Tickets for the concert, which begins at 6pm, are on sale from the Carnegie Hall box office by calling 01383 602302.