Lines & Spaces Issue 8: 50th Anniversary Special

Lines & Spaces

HIGH NOTES

Richard and Ruth Beauchamp look back at the School’s earliest days Celebrating musical memories from alumni old and new Making history while making music – our fifty-year timeline in words and pictures

From Coates Hall to Calton Hill – Dr Kenneth Taylor looks to the future … and more!

Notes from St Mary’s Music School

Issue 8 Summer 2023

A WORD FROM DR TAYLOR

Welcome to this special edition of Lines & Spaces, as we celebrate fifty years of instrumental music teaching at St Mary’s Music School. Pupils and staff have been hugely industrious as we’ve played our parts in creating projects and events to mark this fantastic milestone in the School’s history.

I hope you’ll enjoy reading about the completion of the Seven Hills Project – a celebration of new music that we hope will last long into our sixth decade – as well as our Showcase Concert at the Usher Hall, courtesy of the RSNO, and our Coronation Celebration Concert at Rosslyn Chapel. If you turn to the back cover, you’ll see a host of exciting events coming up including our Chamber Music Lunchtime Concerts at North Esk Church in Musselburgh and Perth Concert Hall, and our not-to-be-missed Summer Jazz Concert.

Of course, a major piece of work for the last year and a half has been the planning of our 50th Anniversary Concert. Acting Director of Music, John Cameron, has led this process with tireless energy and imagination and we’re all looking forward to the event on Monday 26 June in The Queen’s Hall. Pupils and former pupils will join forces in a concert which includes the premiere of a specially commissioned choral work from our Vice President, Sir James MacMillan, and a performance of the Beethoven Triple Concerto featuring former pupils Steven Osborne, Colin Scobie and Philip Higham.

I hope you’ll have been able to join us – or are looking forward to joining us – at some of these events and we look forward to seeing everyone again in the next session. We are proud to have offered our unique, specialist music education for fifty years and look forward, with great enthusiasm, to the years ahead.

Warm wishes

Dr Kenneth Taylor, Headteacher

Two years... and still counting!

Ruth and Richard Beauchamp’s huge contribution to the School and their generous involvement in teaching, coaching, organising and accompanying pupils, spans five decades. In our 50th anniversary year, they cast their minds back to their earliest days here.

Richard, how and when did your and Ruth’s relationship with the School begin?

“Our connection began in London, at the Royal College of Music. Ruth’s teacher, Joan Dickson, was one of the moving spirits behind the founding of what began as a Scottish version of the Menuhin School. She believed profoundly that teaching is a skill that should be taught, and that merely being able to play well is not enough. Ruth learned to approach both technical and musical problems analytically and, because of Joan’s insistence on studying the ‘whole’ music when teaching repertoire, I was often the pianist for her classes and so learned a lot about both accompanying and teaching. Our lives changed completely when Joan mentioned that this young school in Edinburgh needed a piano teacher/accompanist and could also use a cellist, and that Joan needed a new assistant at the RSAMD (now the RCS). We thought we’d try it for two years!”

Ruth, what moves have you and Richard been part of and what changes did these moves bring?

“When we arrived in 1977, the School was based across three sites. Music was in the lower two floors of 11 Eglinton Crescent (the owner, Isobel Traill, later donated her whole house to the School!) while the primary class, academic subjects and art were taught in Old Coates House, with drama and concerts taking place in the Walpole Hall. Boarders lived across the Dean Bridge in Belgrave Crescent, so cellos being wheeled on golf trolleys was a regular sight!

In 1985, Eglinton Crescent and Belgrave Crescent were sold to purchase 25 Palmerston Place, which was adapted to accommodate boarders, catering and all music teaching. Having the boarders in a building where they could practise in the evening was a major advantage, but the downside was that there was no garden, so the Cathedral grounds were used for outdoor activities. The move to Coates Hall in 1995 finally put everyone on one site… and the boarders had a garden again.”

How many instrumental pupils attended the School when you first joined and how has this changed over the years?

“There were 32 pupils in 1977 rising to 45 in 1978 – string players, pianists, composers and some choristers. By 2000, we had 60 pupils and by 2010, we had 80. Significant increases came about when students of other instruments and singing joined us, and when all the choristers joined the primary class. The steady trickle of international students has greatly added to the educational experience for everyone too.”

Ruth, how has your role developed over the years?

“After Audrey Scott (cello teacher) left, my role expanded to include almost all cello teaching until 1997, when Pat Hair joined. I was a chamber music coach and, for 34 years, responsible for cello beginner groups at the Saturday Music Classes.”

And Richard, since 1977 how has your role developed over the years and what roles have you taken on?

“I’ve been piano teacher, accompanist, chamber music organiser and coach, music librarian, and aural training coordinator and teacher. For many years, I was also Head of Keyboard.”

You must both have seen many changes over the years. Which have been the most significant?

“In the early years, the School had limited resources but a team of hugely enthusiastic staff. We worked hard to create a musical and educational environment where young people would meet others who were similarly motivated, as well as teachers who could help them to develop into the musicians they dreamed of becoming. It was small, informal and supportive, and we remember enjoying two exchanges with Russian schools, trips to the International Cello Festival, hill walking expeditions, beach barbeques and sailing at Port Edgar. As the School grew, a more formal staffing hierarchy was introduced, along with school uniform. More stringent government requirements for health and safety meant that some of the informality and spontaneity of the early years changed, but what never changed were our guiding principles. The teachers’ first responsibility must be to set pupils up with a healthy technique, enabling them to play throughout their careers without injury, combined with a strong emphasis on encouraging a deep understanding of music and a love of exploring the many possibilities of interpretation. Nigel Murray, our first Director of Music, was instrumental in establishing the highest standards of performing and ensemble playing – having the time to do this properly is and always will be a vital part of the School’s work.”

Ruth came to the UK from New Zealand on an ABRSM overseas scholarship and an award from the New Zealand Arts Council. After studying with Joan Dickson at the Royal College of Music and attending intensive teaching courses delivered by pioneering pedagogues Paul Rolland, Phyllis Young and the Szilvay brothers, Ruth became Joan Dickson’s Teaching Assistant at the RSAMD (now the RCS). She has also coached children’s chamber music for Pro Corda and led teacher training workshops for Big Noise (Sistema) Scotland.

Richard studied with former Godowsky pupil, Ernest Empson, in New Zealand before coming to the Royal College of Music. He has performed as a recitalist, chamber musician and concerto soloist in the UK and abroad and has a lifelong interest in anatomy and biomechanics in relation to piano playing and musicians’ health. This has led to lectures at conferences organised by the British Association of Performing Arts Medicine, the RNCM and EPTA; his work has been widely quoted in books and academic papers.

LOOKING BACK…

Breaking boundaries and setting new standards

For 50 years, St Mary’s Music School has been a shining beacon of specialist music education in the UK, producing some of the country’s most brilliant and talented instrumentalists, singers and composers.

Our origins go further back, however, right back to 1880 when we were founded to educate the ‘new’ St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral choristers and hone their musical skills. It was almost a century later, in 1972, when we expanded into a specialist music school, opening our doors to our first instrumental pupils with Yehudi Menuhin as our Patron. From there, the School soared to new heights of musical excellence.

Breaking boundaries and setting new standards, in 1978 the Cathedral invited girls to sing alongside boys in the treble line –the first choir in the UK to make this bold move. The choristers then joined the School’s primary classes, young instrumentalist numbers increased and, as the School roll expanded, premises were outgrown and in 1995, we moved to our present home at Coates Hall.

Over the years, St Mary’s Music School has continued to expand and innovate, evolving into a centre of musical excellence and attracting students from all over Scotland and beyond. Today, we are one of five Government-supported specialist music schools in the UK and the only one of our kind in Scotland. From offering a full academic curriculum to modernising our facilities, we have consistently maintained our unwavering commitment to open our doors to outstanding young singers, instrumentalists and composers who show potential, regardless of their family’s financial circumstances.

Over the years, we are proud that St Mary’s Music School has produced a long list of notable alumni, including some of the most renowned names in music and entertainment – we are

A musical memory…

“As the only bass player coming into what was, at that time, a predominately strings school, I was immediately very busy! I remember feeling like I was in every ensemble available – a brilliant experience as a young musician. I found the expectations of my playing a bit of a shock, but it made me learn fast and it was also my first experience of a very happy and fun boarding house. I had a very happy time at the School and made lasting memories – brilliant like-minded friends, trips to Drumsheugh swimming baths, evenings in the boarding house, music tours of the North, barbeques on the beach, concerts across Scotland, playing in jazz clubs through in Glasgow, lunchtime concerts in the Chapel at Coates Hall, double bass conventions in the RSAMD (now RCS) and the Royal Northern, and art lessons in Old Coates House. A musical education equipped me with confidence and the knowledge that if you work hard, anything is achievable.”

Rebecca Minogue | Headteacher’s PA and Admissions at St Mary’s Music School | Class of 1998

Inspiring philanthropy

St Mary’s Music School has been nurturing and inspiring musically gifted children for half a century and those fifty years have been characterised by remarkable, and often unexpected, acts of generosity, as Caroline Libberton, Development Manager, explains.

“Something about our pioneering vision, our staff’s dedication to specialist music teaching and our Board’s tenacity have inspired many supporters to give generously to the School during their lifetime or to remember us in their will. And it’s thanks to those individuals and their far-sighted philanthropy that we have been able to establish, grow and become what we are today – Scotland’s national music school.

Former Headteacher, Dr Carolyn Coxon, talks with great fondness of meeting Isobel Traill (later a generous benefactress to the National Galleries of Scotland) who owned the house above our music teaching rooms on the lower floors of 11 Eglinton Crescent in the late 1970s. Bracing herself for a complaint about the noise of children practising, Carolyn was surprised (and delighted!) to learn that Isobel wanted to donate her house to the School and was determined that the School should let this be known in order to encourage others to be generous too. Isobel Traill’s extraordinary gift enabled the School to buy new premises in Edinburgh’s West End, sold a decade later to help fund our move to our current home, Coates Hall, which was opened by Yehudi Menuhin in 1985. We think Isobel would have thoroughly approved!

In the intervening years, many more generous supporters have helped the School go from strength to strength and one particularly inspiring gift came from the School’s former Director of Music, Nigel Murray. Nigel was a talented and much-admired violinist in Scotland and, after graduating from the Royal College of Music in London, performed with many of the UK’s top orchestras. He then began a career in

teaching and went on to lead our musical activity for 16 years. His generous legacy allowed us to introduce the annual Nigel Murray Masterclass, an opportunity for our talented young instrumentalists to work with some of today’s most celebrated musicians, including (to date) Nicola Benedetti, Steven Isserlis, Steven Osborne and Felix Andrievsky.

Other gifts to the School, large and small, have enabled us to purchase instruments, fund scholarships and take part in exciting new musical activities, such as the Seven Hills Project, over the years. Critically, these gifts have helped us to augment our Bursary Fund, ensuring that talented young musicians continue to benefit from the immersive musical environment we offer, no matter their family’s financial circumstances.

It is thanks to the inspiring philanthropy of so many supporters that the School is able to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year and we are hugely grateful to everyone who has played their part and we hope you will continue to do so for our next 50 years of music making!”

If you would like to support St Mary’s Music School, or find out more about leaving a gift in your will to the School, please visit stmarysmusicschool.co.uk/support-us/ or contact Caroline Libberton, Development Manager, at clibberton@st-marys-music-school.co.uk or on 0131 538 7766

Making history while making music

In 1880, St Mary’s Music School was founded for the education of the choirboys at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, which was completed and consecrated in 1879. Designed in the Victorian Gothic revival style by the architect Sir George Gilbert Scott, it is the only Cathedral in Scotland to maintain a tradition of daily choral services for most of the year. The School was originally based at Old Coates House, within the Cathedral grounds. In 1885, the Song School was built next to the Cathedral to provide choristers with a rehearsal space for their daily practice; beautifully decorated inside by the Irish-born artist, Phoebe Anna Traquair, it continues to be in daily use. Almost a century later, in 1972, the School began to make history as well as music…

1972

Under the guidance of Dennis Townhill (Organist and Choir Master at the Cathedral from 1961 to 1991) and Provost Philip Crosfield, St Mary’s Music School expands into a ‘new and vibrant entity’ – a specialist music school, welcoming our first instrumental pupils. Lord Yehudi Menuhin, the School’s first Patron, refers to us as ‘my younger sister-school in Scotland’.

1978

Dr Carolyn Coxon is appointed Headteacher and, in response to fixed-term contracts for instrumental teachers being cut across the city, introduces the Saturday Music Classes. These continue to be one of the School’s best-loved outreach activities, welcoming around 150 young musicians every year. Under Carolyn’s influence, the Cathedral Choir becomes the first in the UK to allow girls to sing alongside boys on the treble line and Susan Hamilton is our first female chorister. Lord Clyde becomes a Trustee of the School.

1986

Pupils at St Mary’s Music School receive funding through the Scottish Government Aided Places Scheme, helping to ensure that outstanding young musicians can access our specialist music education, whatever their circumstances.

1995

The School moves to Coates Hall, for the first time combining music teaching and practice, academic teaching, and boarding and catering facilities under one roof, along with a garden for outdoor activities.

2001

The Directors’ Recital Prize is introduced with the aim of providing pupils with the experience of public solo performance in a competitive situation. The first winner of the ‘DRP’ is Philip Higham, later appointed Principal Cello of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in 2016, who will perform at the School’s 50th Anniversary Concert.

2012

Director of Music from 1980 to 1996, Nigel Murray left a gift to the School to fund a series of masterclasses. Launching in 2012, our annual Nigel Murray Masterclass, held in his memory, allows us to bring some of the world’s greatest musicians to the School and is extended to teachers and pupils at schools across Scotland.

2014

The Intermediate Recital Prize (for S3-4 pupils) is awarded for the first time. The first winner is Anna Michels.

2016

A proposal is put forward by the Royal High School Preservation Trust (RHSPT), with financial backing from Dunard Fund, for the old Royal High School building at Calton Hill to be transformed into Scotland’s National Centre of Music, with St Mary’s Music School as its principal tenant.

2020

A unique opportunity for our pupils to meet internationally-renowned musicians from across the globe via live video, the Celebrity 6 Series is inspired by the restrictions of lockdown, and now has a permanent place in our calendar of musical activity.

2023

In the School’s 50th anniversary year, the lease on the old Royal High School building is formally handed over to the RHSPT and we look forward to opening a new chapter in our history in 2027.

©️ Gordon Burniston

... AND LOOKING FORWARD

From Coates Hall to Calton Hill

After a brief period in chemical research, Dr Kenneth Taylor became a secondary school teacher of Chemistry and Physics in 1997, working in three Edinburgh schools before taking up the post of Head of Science at Peebles High School. In 2009 he became Depute Headteacher at Biggar High School and, in 2013, was appointed Headteacher of St Mary’s Music School.

As you look forward to the move to Calton Hill, what will be the biggest changes? How will you take the character of the School from Coates Hall into a new, state-of-the-art environment?

“I believe that a school is more to do with the people and how they interact with one another than about the physical building they’re in. This School has a wonderful ethos where young musicians work with their teachers and peers to develop and enrich their individual musical gifts. For over 25 years Coates Hall has been home to all of this. The building enabled the School to expand and develop and allowed us to offer high quality music and academic education to our pupils, provide a home for up to 35 boarding pupils and host around 150 children each week at our Saturday Music Classes. However, Coates Hall is now full to bursting and has never provided the performance space to allow us to invite more than a handful of guests to hear our pupils perform here.

The old Royal High School building occupies an historic and prominent site in Edinburgh, so it’s an entirely fitting home for us as Scotland’s National Music School. As well as sound-proofed practice rooms, larger rooms for ensemble rehearsals, a recording studio, purpose-built boarding facilities and academic classrooms, the new building incorporates a Concert Hall which will enable us to engage with the public as never before – it’s a hugely exciting prospect.”

What will the new building enable you to do that you can’t do from Coates Hall?

“The size of the new building and the facilities it offers will be the biggest game changers. We’ll be able to open ourselves up more to the community and collaborate more closely and more regularly with other music organisations. I’m particularly looking forward to being able to host our own public masterclasses as, at the moment we need to borrow other venues. Masterclasses are an inspiring and valuable experience for young musicians and the new building will allow us to share those more widely, with more young musicians and music teachers from all over Scotland able to take part. The new facilities will allow us to enhance the education we offer our primary classes as well as offer a range of music lessons for older students from other schools in Edinburgh.”

On that note, how important do you think accessibility is in a musical context – both in terms of St Mary’s Music School pupils and in the way the new building will open up wider music opportunities for all?

“The Scottish Government Aided Places Scheme offers a unique and generous opportunity for any child with musical potential to access the specialist music education we provide. Families make an affordable contribution according to their means, and some of our pupils pay no fees at all. Working with new and well-established partners alike, I believe the new building will enable us to engage with new generations of young people with the talent and potential to benefit from our specialist music education. We also anticipate that a wide range of workshops, masterclasses, concerts, music teaching and ensemble work will all have their part to play in opening up music opportunities to all.”

Finally, how does it feel to know that St Mary’s Music School will be responsible for breathing new life into a significant building that has lain empty for so long?

“It seems entirely right that this iconic building will, once again, be being used in the way it was originally intended –namely, education. It will be a great honour for St Mary’s Music School – as Scotland’s National Music School –to make its new home on Calton Hill.”

“I play the viola, piano and organ and I enjoy singing. In my previous schools, I often accompanied pupils and choirs for examinations – however, my services have rarely been required here at St Mary’s Music School! That said, I do maintain an interest in performing through the Bach Ensemble of Edinburgh, which has given concerts for the past ten years in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.”

Dr Kenneth Taylor | Headteacher

A new lease of life

John Reid, the School’s Interim Chief Executive, has for several years been closely involved with the plans to move St Mary’s Music School to the old Royal High School building.

“After almost eight years, I am delighted to report that the Royal High School Preservation Trust has finalised and signed a 125-year lease to the site at Calton Hill. The process has been arduous and, I have to confess, in some dark moments, we despaired of the proposal succeeding. However, succeed it did, and work has now commenced on site. Coincidental maybe, but it does feel rather fitting that it should happen in the School’s 50th anniversary year.

We can now look forward with great enthusiasm to a watershed in the School’s development, as we become a key element of the Calton Hill project. The refurbished building will become an iconic cultural landmark in Edinburgh once again, with classrooms and boarding facilities newly constructed and incorporating all modern amenities, and surrounded by elegant and relaxing gardens.

The new site will provide an opportunity to enhance the already first-class, specialist music education offered by St Mary’s Music School, providing 37 dedicated and specialist practice rooms, a state-of-the-art recording studio and a concert hall and recital rooms, designed by a world-leading acoustician.

These facilities will be a beacon, attracting ambitious students and the finest musicians and teachers to Edinburgh and there will be a wide range of musical and cultural activities taking place on campus. In short, the new facilities will enable the School to realise its ambition to become a world-renowned training establishment and to take its place at the heart of Edinburgh’s and Scotland’s rich cultural life.”

A musical memory…

“Having planned for so long to conserve and protect this building for the city and the nation, it is hugely exciting for the Trust to take possession of it at last and to begin moving ahead with restoration plans this year. This is a significant milestone for the building and the delivery of a shared vision for a new world-class centre for music education and public performance.”

“It was a great privilege to grow up in such an enriching environment surrounded by incredibly kind and smart friends, many of whom are now colleagues of mine within the music industry. My fondest memories involve improvising during the monthly jazz days led by Richard Ingham, being a member of John Kenny’s brass ensemble, chatting and crafting in art classes with Ms Martin, and having extra accompaniment sessions with John Cameron instead of piano lessons. St Mary’s Music School really shone with its chamber music tuition, and it’s not a coincidence that I have gone on to prioritise chamber music within my own career.”

William Gray Muir Chair of the Royal High School Preservation Trust (RHSPT)

Robyn Blair | Professional musician (French Horn) | Class of 2016

Two minutes with two musicians

Two pupils (our oldest and our newest!) take two minutes to talk about the instrument they play, what they love most about being a musician, their favourite music and composers, and their musical highlights (so far!).

John Doig (the School’s first instrumentalist in 1972), from Killearn, Scotland | Violin

After playing to Yehudi Menuhin when I was 13 years old, I was enrolled at St Mary’s Music School as the first instrumental pupil, in 1972. I began lessons at the age of five and I love the breadth of tone of the instrument and the singing quality of the upper register. Although retired now, I still listen to a lot of music, mostly classical. But I spent some of my youth playing in orchestras accompanying amateur dramatic clubs, so have a soft spot for musicals too – from Gilbert and Sullivan to Fiddler on the Roof! One memorable highlight of my career was in 1994, when I was the leader of the orchestra playing when the great Spanish soprano, Montserrat Caballe, appeared in a sell-out concert at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. I was chatting to her in the green room beforehand and she surprised me by saying that at lunch that day, she had tasted haggis for the first time… she said it was delicious. Needless to say, her performance that evening was stupendous – haggis fuelled perhaps!

Sophie (the School’s newest pupil in 2023), from Edinburgh, Scotland | Violin

I play violin and piano. I love the violin because it makes such a lovely sound and it’s so calming. When I play a piece on it, it makes me feel that it happened in another world. I listen to lots of different composers, like Vivaldi, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich, but my favourite composer of all time – to listen to and to play – is Chopin. One of my musical highlights is working with the Edinburgh University Orchestra, also playing Meditation by Jules Massenet and getting a private video from Nicola Benedetti.

Spotlight on… Our choristers

John Conway, Provost at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral and a Trustee of the School, describes the crucial relationship between School and Cathedral.

“Most of the primary pupils at St Mary’s Music School, and between a quarter and a third of the total pupils, are choristers, so they remain a crucial part of the School make up. At chorister auditions we look for potential, a basic musicality, but not the finished article. We have worked hard to increase the diversity of our chorister intake, so that any child with a passion and flair for singing can undertake that transformational journey.

Choristers perform as part of a high-level choir on a daily basis from day one – that is an unrivalled experience, which leads to a life of music making and appreciation. As they progress and become senior choristers, they develop the confidence to contribute significantly and tackle a huge range of choral repertoire. It is one of the privileges of my job to watch that transformation of children, through the discipline of singing, into confident, articulate young people.

The music the choristers sing has a transcendent purpose –it exists to express, lift and transform the human spirit. The choristers quickly become aware of the seriousness of what they offer, but it certainly doesn’t preclude them having fun! They realise, however, the potential for music to express things in ways that words alone cannot. And they realise too that it’s something done jointly, in concert with others. There are solos for them to sing but they arise out of, and are in service to, the whole. So singing is an exercise in community, in listening to others, and in together creating something of real worth and purpose.

When the School moves to Calton Hill, it will be a big change and it’s important that the choristers still feel the Cathedral is their home, alongside the School. It will be vital that that connection with the Cathedral, and with the tradition of rehearsing in our amazing Song School, is not lost. However, the opportunity for the choristers to be part of a world-class institution, and to develop the connections with wider music making that the School enables, is to be cherished.

As I often remark, the Cathedral and the new school will, between them, embrace the whole of Princes Street and the heart of our wonderful city – and that is an opportunity to be celebrated.”

What’s the score?

RSNO Showcase Concert at the Usher Hall

Leading by example

We have been incredibly fortunate to welcome a selection of highly respected guest tutors to the School to lead masterclasses over the last few months. These sessions give our pupils the opportunity to spend time with leaders in the music industry, learning through both direct participation and observation. Pupils of all ages have taken part and benefited from expert coaching in technique and matters relating to performance.

Our pupils took to the main stage at the Usher Hall on 3 March, ahead of the RSNO’s concert that evening. From Messiaen to Rautavaara, Tchaikovsky to Schubert and Sorensen, this free event saw Carlo, Anias, Alexander, Paul, Michelle, Hester, Kirsty and our Senior String Quartet (India, Hester, Daisy and Beau) take the audience on a musical journey. A wonderful evening was had by all and a big thank you to the RSNO for this fantastic opportunity.

Seven Hills Project

The seventh and final instalment of St Mary’s Music School’s Seven Hills Project was premiered during the School’s annual Spring Concert on 29 March. The composition, entitled Castle Rock, was written by renowned composer, alumnus and Head of Graduate Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, David Horne. As for all the Seven Hills Project compositions, Castle Rock drew its inspiration from one of the Seven Hills of Edinburgh, The Castle Rock, and Alexander McCall Smith’s poem, The Castle Rock Dominates. The piece is scored for alto saxophone, accordion, horn and string quartet, and was performed by John, Olivia, Kirsty, Anias, India, Daisy and Beau. Head of Strings Dr Valerie Pearson explained: “There is a long history of St Mary’s Music School commissioning new music. We cherish our position here in Edinburgh and in Scotland and this was a way to try to celebrate our surroundings, social history and community, and to support new music.”

A Coronation Celebration

We marked the coronation of King Charles III with an evening of joyful music from St Mary’s Music School, performed in the beautiful setting of Rosslyn Chapel on the evening of Friday 5 May. Our Brass Ensemble, Senior and Junior String Ensembles and our Senior String Quartet entranced the audience with a stunning programme that included Thomas Weelkes’ Madrigal No. 1 and No. 2, Tilman Susato’s The Danserye, movements from Benjamin Britten’s A Simple Symphony and String Quartet No. 2, movements from Richard Bissil’s Horn Quartet, movements from Peter Warlock’s Capriol Suite and Giles Farnby’s Fancies, Toyes and Dreams

In January, we welcomed renowned oboist Francois Leleux for an evening of music, well attended by over 70 guests, while March was jam-packed with musical luminaries! Saxophonist Andrew Somerville, violinist Gaby Lester, trumpeter (and former pupil) Aaron Akugbo, accordionist Miloš Milivojević, oboist (and former pupil) Katherine Bryer, singer Patricia MacMahon and trombonist Arlene Macfarlane all joined us to share their wisdom, expertise and joy of music making.

Celebrating the Year of the Rabbit

The geography topic last term for our primary class was the continent of Asia, and the pupils wanted to focus on Chinese New Year as seven of them celebrate this at home. The class created some wonderful artwork, which included a fantastic dragon (currently on display in the primary classroom). On the last day of Chinese New Year, parents were invited into the classroom to help celebrate by eating tasty dumplings, learning some Chinese numbers and enjoying a presentation on the Year of the Rabbit. As many of our P7 pupils were born in 2011, the Year of the Rabbit is an extra special celebration and the parents really enjoyed being part of that. The class also presented their project to the whole school during assembly.

This term, the primary class will continue with their 50th School Celebration project, where pupils are creating a timeline to be displayed in the School and finally at the Summer Concert. The pupils are enjoying learning about the School’s history and the key figures who have influenced its direction.

Become a Friend of St Mary’s Music School

Help us celebrate 50 years of music making at St Mary’s Music School and help us support the next 50 years, by becoming a Friend. Our Friends sit at the very heart of our School community, helping us to fund everything from Masterclasses with international musicians to extensive performance opportunities, and from tuning our fleet of pianos to ensuring we attract the very best teachers across all subject areas. It is thanks to our Friends – as well our donors, past and present – that we can support our exceptional young musicians to become the soloists, orchestral performers, conductors, composers and music teachers of tomorrow.

Friends Membership – £10 per month/£120 per year

Friends of St Mary’s Music School make a monthly or annual donation to the School and enjoy a range of benefits in return, including an exclusive Annual Friends Event and opportunities to hear our pupils perform throughout the year. To find out more and join today please scan the QR code, get in touch on 0131 538 7766 or visit our website at www.stmarysmusicschool.co.uk/friends

What’s on?

Open Days at St Mary’s Music School

Virtual Open Morning

9.15-10.15am, Sunday 8 October 2023 (online)

Instrumental Taster Day

11am-3.45pm, Sunday 29 October 2023 (in person)

Be a Chorister Afternoon

2.30-6.15pm, Friday 3 November 2023 (in person)

International Summer School

Piano Summer School

Sunday 6 to Friday 11 August 2023

Competitions

Directors’ Recital Prize

7pm, Tuesday 13 June 2023

St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Palmerston Place, Edinburgh EH12 5AW

Junior and Intermediate Recital Prizes

Thursday 15 June 2023

Time and venue to be confirmed – please check our website for up-to-date information

Follow us

facebook.com/stmarysmusicschool

twitter.com/stmarys_music

Concerts

Chamber Music Lunchtime Concert

12.45pm, Monday 5 June 2023

Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, Perth PH1 5HZ

Chamber Music Lunchtime Concert

12 noon, Tuesday 6 June 2023

North Esk Church, 16 Bridge Street, Musselburgh EH21 6AG

Summer Jazz Concert

7pm, Wednesday 7 June 2023

St Andrew’s & St George’s West, 13 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PA

50th Anniversary Concert

7.30pm, Monday 26 June 2023

The Queen’s Hall, 85-89 Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9JG

St Mary’s Music School International Piano Summer School Final Concert

1.05pm, Friday 11 August 2023

St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Palmerston Place, Edinburgh EH12 5AW

To book tickets or places, or to find out more, scan here or visit www.stmarysmusicschool.co.uk/events

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St Mary’s Music School Trust Ltd is a charity, number SC014611. Registered in Scotland 54504. Registered office: Coates Hall, 25 Grosvenor Crescent, Edinburgh EH12 5EL All images and text ©️ St Mary’s Music School 2023, unless otherwise stated Design by IL Design | Editorial by Allison Traynor & Michelle Addinall

Photo credits | Michelle Addinall, Gordon Burniston, John Doig, Nicola Dove