The Seven Hills Project

CELEBRATE THE SEVEN HILLS OF EDINBURGH

Although St Mary’s Music School was founded in 1880 to educate the choristers of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, it was in 1972 that instrumentalists joined the pupil body, creating a fully rounded music school in the heart of Edinburgh. In anticipation of the School’s 50th anniversary year, which will be celebrated during the school year 2022/23, a major community engagement project to celebrate composition and creativity is planned – and the School needs your support!

Inspired by Edinburgh’s distinctive landscape, the theme of the project is the Seven Hills of Edinburgh and author, Alexander McCall Smith, has written a poem for each of the seven hills, which he has gifted to the School. This extraordinary poetic contribution provides the compositional anchor for a series of seven short chamber music works commissioned from seven composers with strong connections to Scotland and the School.

These notable musicians are Helen Grime, Jay Capperauld, David Horne, Tom David Wilson, Simon Smith, Neil Tomas Smith and Ailie Robertson. When the seven new works are ultimately published, this will create an exiting new chamber music resource – a gift from Scotland to the world.

Between 2021 and 2023, the School aims to engage with the widest possible community through performances of these seven new pieces by St Mary’s Music School pupils as well as through composition workshops in schools and other venues in Edinburgh and further afield. A major highlight of the anniversary year will be the premiere of a commemorative piece for orchestra and choir, written by Sir James MacMillan CBE. This will be performed by St Mary’s Music School pupils and alumni at the Usher Hall on Monday 26 June 2023.

In order to raise the £65,000 required to bring this project to fruition, a major fundraising campaign commenced on Sunday 30th August with Headteacher, Dr Kenneth Taylor, taking part in the Seven Hills Race. We warmly invite you to help us to reach our fundraising target for this special project to mark St Mary’s Music School’s 50th anniversary by making a donation at www.stmarysmusicschool.co.uk/support-us/the-seven-hills-project.

Royal High School Preservation Trust is a Scottish Guarantee Company under Company Number SC504433.Registered as a Scottish Charity under Scottish Charity Number SC045779. St Mary’s Music School Trust Ltd is a Charity, Number SC01461. Registered in Scotland 54504. Registered Office: Coates Hall, 25 Grosvenor Crescent, Edinburgh EH12 5EL

Exciting Online Events

SATURDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER 2020, 10AM TO 11.30AM TUESDAY 13TH 2020, 7PM TO 8.30PM Virtual Open Days and Be a Chorister Days Meet our pupils and staff, take a virtual tour of the School, find out what lessons are like and SUNDAY 8TH Nask lots of questions. OVEMBER 2020, 10AM TO 11.30AM

Advisory Auditions

Find out whether you’ve got what it takes to be a pupil at St Mary’s Music School!

Seminars, Workshops and Q&A Sessions

From life as a boarder to financial support available - if you’ve got a question, we’ll have the answer.

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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 2020 unless otherwise stated Design and production by Witherby Publishing Group Charitable Trust | Words by Allison Traynor Photography by Sally Jubb, Paul Raeburn, Colin Hattersley, Fiona Duncan