For over fifty years (with an inevitable intermission due to COVID-19) Dunfermline Arts Guild – LIVE Music on Sundays in Dunfermline – has provided opportunities for members to enjoy live music in a setting that allowed the audience to hear the music close-up and to interact with the artists. Those taking part are all professional musicians, many of whom are on the threshold of what will be glittering careers – you heard them first in Dunfermline! For our 2023–24 season we've reverted to our normal six-concert autumn/winter series, running from October to April. One innovation, however, is that the December and January concerts have been moved to an afternoon slot by way of any experiment.
Dopey Monkey began in 2015 with Danielle Price and Martin Lee Thomson exploring all things tuba and euphonium in an informal concert for friends. Known for their varied creative output, they draw upon their experiences in jazz, folk, classical and experimental music to create new projects and musical works. They are passionate about showcasing their instruments in different contexts as well as using them as a medium to investigate cross-arts projects, and really enjoy collaborative projects where they can explore and share stories alongside other artists and communities. Join Danielle and Martin in an evening exploring traditional music from their home, the North East of Scotland. Taking inspiration from historic text, photography, archived sounds and song, they will share with you an eclectic mix of Scottish traditional, re-imagined and new tunes!
The Rookh Quartet began life in 2017 when four of Scotland’s horn players decided to get together regularly to explore – and expand – the horn quartet repertoire. The original plan did not involve doing any concerts – the idea was to get together regularly, to enjoy playing chamber music. This changed when the University of Glasgow offered the Rookh Quartet a lunchtime concert, and the group has since gone on to play in venues and festivals that include The Cathedral of the Isles, soundfestival, and Orkney’s St Magnus Festival, as well as joining players from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Scottish Opera for the International Horn Society’s annual event in 2021. The first concert also gave the group their name, as they gave the first performance of Jane Stanley’s Lalla Rookh, for natural horn, two horns, and narrator. The piece is based on a letter written by a former University of Glasgow staff member and amateur horn player, William Thomson … also known as Lord Kelvin. The letter was written as he was anchored in the harbour of Funchal, Madeira, on board the Lalla Rookh. Lord Kelvin’s natural horn can be found in the Hunterian Museum, in the room directly above the University’s Concert Hall.
Voted ‘Best Band’ twice at the Scottish Jazz Awards, Glasgow-based Rose Room are Scotland’s leading ensemble influenced by ‘Hot Club’ Swing. Led by virtuoso violinist, Scottish Jazz Award-winning vocalist and BBC broadcaster Seonaid Aitken, the band also features Scotland’s No.1 guitar maker Jimmy Moon on double bass with Danny Kyle Award-winning Tam Gallagher on rhythm guitar. Continuing Rose Room’s second decade is an exceptional talent from Glasgow’s Southside; solo guitarist Conor Smith known for his work with hugely popular band The Vintage Explosion. Expect the effervescent sound of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli as they serve up a mix of 1930s standards, original music and Gypsy Jazz favourites with their signature flair and fireworks!
The JKL DUO, Kerry Lynch and Jacopo Lazzaretti, play music straight from the heart, using the flute and classical guitar to speak to listeners all across the world. The International Poet is the programme Kerry and Jacopo created around the figure of Robert Burns and have taken to many Scottish venues since February 2022. It has been described as ‘Simply stunning’ (Skye Chamber Music) and ‘Robert Burns as you've never heard him before’ (West Linton Village Centre). Tracks from the debut album released in 2023 have been broadcast extensively in Scotland, the album was awarded ‘Album of the Week’ at Celtic Music Radio and has been nominated for the Scottish Album of the Year Award. Further reviews described it as ‘A stimulating and thought-provoking take on the music found by Robert Burns’ (Kate Calder, Edinburgh Music Review) and ‘To see such a unique, well-executed, and fresh concept for a chamber music album is a rare delight, and the world is all the richer for JKL Duo's cheek in attempting such a project’ (Michael Ibsen).
The Thistle Trio is a Scottish based wind ensemble that recently emerged from the friendship and passion of three musicians wishing to share their music in an interactive and inclusive way across all ages and backgrounds. Enthusiastic, friendly, passionate and approachable musicians, Laura, Gaynor and Pawel have played together over the last seven years in a variety of orchestral and chamber music settings. All three were trained in the UK (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Edinburgh Napier, Trinity College) and abroad (France, Poland, Germany). They all regularly freelance across Scotland with the professional orchestras (RSNO, Scottish Ballet, Scottish Opera, SCO, London Concertante, Scottish Concert Orchestra) and are also guests internationally with orchestras (Italy, Malta, Russia, Spain). Outside their performing activities, Laura, Gaynor and Pawel are all passionate and dedicated tutors, teaching across various schools in the Borders, Edinburgh City, Angus, Glasgow City and in England, as well as with Sistema Scotland coaching hundreds of young people to develop their musical talents.
Formed in 2017, the Fyrish String Quartet is a young, vibrant ensemble. Each member excelled during their studies and collectively they have received tuition from some of the UK's leading musicians. The quartet has performed across Scotland, presenting varied programmes often combining classical and folk music. Whilst the ensemble enjoys playing much of the core string quartet repertoire, they also explore lesser known works and champion new music.
