Dame Evelyn Glennie is coming to Cumnock

An evening with Dame Evelyn Glennie is a special one-off event for our local community and supporters which will also herald The Tryst’s return to activity.

Evelyn Glennie is one of the most influential musicians to have emerged from Scotland in recent decades. She is one of those rare classical performers who are genuinely loved and admired by a huge range of people. Because of this she has attracted many to the beauties and joys of percussion music, and modern classical music in particular. It has long been our ambition to bring her to Cumnock so that the local people in Ayrshire and the Tryst’s many supporters can have the opportunity to meet her, and to hear her talk and play.

Dumfries House, Friday 22 April 7.30pm
Sign Language interpreted
FREE tickets

“At this event, I will also announce the programme for our Cumnock Tryst 2022 festival. The concerts and events from 29th September to 2nd October this year represent an important development in The Tryst’s growth, and our supporters will be excited to hear of our new plans for our 8th festival.

I composed my concerto Veni, Veni Emmanuel for Evelyn in 1992, and she has played it all over the world. It has become my most popular and performed work, having now received over 600 performances. In many ways Evelyn and I have been good for each other! We have figured as vitally influential figures in each other’s careers and lives in music. This event in Dumfries Houses gives our audience the opportunity to hear about this and about Evelyn’s extraordinary musical journey from an Aberdeenshire schoolgirl to an international star and virtuoso.

As well as hearing Evelyn and I in conversation, our audience will be treated to a special and intimate musical glimpse into her legendary artistry, as she will weave some solo percussion pieces into the evening.

In the afternoon Evelyn and I will work with young people from across Ayrshire in a workshop on musical creativity, and they will then perform as part of the evening event. It will include a British Sign Language interpreter and be carried out in collaboration with CentreStage, who seek to deliver life changing social benefits through participation in the arts, and Solar Bear theatre company who work with deaf and hearing actors, theatre makers, artists and young people.”

— Sir James MacMillan

A weekend with our friends from The Sixteen

The Cumnock Tryst has had a great weekend with our friends Harry Christophers and Eamonn Dougan from The Sixteen.

On Friday, The Cumnock Tryst Festival Chorus had a wonderful reunion with their Chorus Director Eamonn Dougan, singing together for the first time in two years! Have a look at all the photos here.

Meanwhile, Harry Christophers spent the morning with a group of singers and conductors at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

We then hosted a residential weekend for the 22 young singers of Genesis Sixteen, conducting scholar Olivia Tait and three composers, Eoghan Desmond, Lisa Robertson and Anna Semple, who worked with Harry, Eamonn and James MacMillan before an informal performance at Dumfries House.A wonderful weekend of music-making in Cumnock!

Come and Sing Photo Credits: Stuart Armitt

Watch the launch of 'Creative Composition for the Classroom' by James MacMillan and Jennifer Martin

Trinity College London commissioned a new book for music teachers and young composers from James MacMillan, Artistic Director and Jennifer Martin, Chief Executive of The Cumnock Tryst to illustrate the compositional process and to support those teaching and learning composition in the upper years of secondary school. This book incorporates much of the teaching processes used in the Tryst’s composition projects for schools and was launched during The Cumnock Tryst Festival 2021. The two authors discussed the project with Stuart Pearce, Director, UK & Ireland Markets at Trinity College London and Gillian Moore, Director of Music and Performing Arts for Southbank Centre.

You can purchase a copy of the book via the Trinity College Press online shop.

A celebration of our 2021 Festival!

After a two year wait, The Cumnock Tryst brought live music back to Cumnock once again with fantastic performances from Scottish mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill; Tenebrae performing with virtuoso saxophonist Christian Forshaw; piano duets from the remarkable duo of Steven Osborne and Paul Lewis; the launch of a new book by James MacMillan and Jennifer Martin; and all topped off with a celebration ceilidh!

Photo Credit: Stuart Armitt and Beth Chalmers

The Cumnock Tryst launches new community film 'The Moss and the Cosmos'

The Cumnock Tryst is working with community groups from across Cumnock and the Doon Valley to create musical theatre that captures their response to the landscape, the social history of the area, its communities and the musical heritage of its people and places.

To kick off the project, Sir James MacMillan, Artistic Director of The Cumnock Tryst, led a series of online workshops that explored four themes, Coal, Environment, People and Place, all of which have particular significance within the Coalfield Community Landscape Partnership area in East Ayrshire. Participants were joined by photographer Colin Prior, author Alexander McCall Smith, poet Michael Symmons Roberts, composer Pete Stollery, visual artist Kim Beveridge and naturalist Chris Packham, learning how to capture their own moment in time.

We received over one-hundred photographs, films, texts and sound recordings from across the area. Film-maker Kim Beveridge and composer Alistair MacDonald then worked together to incorporate those submissions into this film, “The Moss and the Cosmos,” a beautiful exploration of East Ayrshire, the people and the place.

To find our more about our project, A Musical Celebration of the Coalfields, click here.

Our project, is part of the Coalfield Communities Landscape Partnership and is generously supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Sir James MacMillan launches Cumnock as a new centre of excellence in the learning and teaching of composition

Sir James MacMillan today launches a major initiative aimed at putting Scotland centre stage in the world of composition. As a composer with global acclaim, Cumnock will become a centre of excellence in the learning and teaching of composition, not limited to Scotland but for teachers and composers across the world.

Delivered through his festival The Cumnock Tryst and in partnership with Trinity College London, it is anticipated that over the next ten years, Cumnock will become an internationally renowned centre for composition that supports composers at the beginning of their careers; those teaching composition in schools; composers studying within higher education; and young composers still at school.

Sir James MacMillan, alongside his continued contribution to the world of classical music as a composer, has long been a champion of emerging composers; mentoring individuals, supporting music provision in schools and commissioning and premiering new works at the Cumnock Tryst.

Sir James said, “It has long been an ambition of mine to take all the experience and learnings we have built over many years of teaching composition in the schools around Cumnock and East Ayrshire and make those available to teachers and students further afield. Teachers are under an incredible amount of pressure and for many composition is a challenging topic to tackle. We’ve seen fantastic results at both primary and secondary school levels through our work here and feel we can really help support and empower those tasked with teaching composition in our schools across the UK.

“The resources we create will not just be focused on teachers, but also support students studying composition at a higher education level or even self-taught. As part of our work to date we have mentored many emerging composers and supported some incredible talent nurtured here in Cumnock, such as Jay Capperauld and Electra Perivolaris through commissions for our festival, the Cumnock Tryst.

“I really believe that here we have the skills and resources to create an internationally recognised centre of excellence which will benefit the potential composers in the area, but also those around the world.”

The first year of this new partnership is delivering a school-based composition project ‘Build It Loud’ and a new book co-authored by Sir James MacMillan and fellow composer and Chief Executive of the Cumnock Tryst, Jennifer Martin.

Build it Loud is a Composition Project for Advanced Higher Music Students at Cumnock’s Robert Burns Academy. The Barony Campus in Cumnock opened in late 2020, bringing together two secondary schools, two primary schools and a school for those with special needs, all under one roof for the first time.

To celebrate the opening of the campus, the theme of Build it Loud is the connection between the creative processes in both music and architecture.

Rupert Goddard the chief architect of Cumnock’s brand new Barony Campus of schools joined James MacMillan, Jennifer Martin and 15 Advanced Higher students, to explore the creative processes within architecture and composition. Each young composer is now being mentored by James and Jennifer along with a composition student from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland as they write a new piece for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s Brass Quintet.

All of the completed works will be performed and recorded in a live event within the Robert Burns Academy in 2021 (when restrictions allow). The works by the young composers will then be collated in a growing archive of music written by pupils in East Ayrshire and in due course, it is hoped made available to teachers and students via the Trinity College London website.

Trinity College London has now commissioned a new book for music teachers and young composers from James MacMillan and Jennifer Martin to illustrate the compositional process and to support those teaching and learning composition in the upper years of secondary school. This book incorporates much of the teaching processes used in the Tryst’s composition projects for schools and will be launched at The Cumnock Tryst Festival in October 2021.

The book will be supported by a series of UK and international online and local seminars and Q&A sessions as well as an archive of footage and materials designed to support and bring to life the processes explored in the book.

Sir James MacMillan added, “At a time when those who make music face so many challenges, we are very glad to be able to continue our plans to create a centre of excellence in the teaching and learning of composition. Working with Trinity College London we can make the resources we will develop available to a wide network of music and education establishments around the world to support the creation of new music everywhere.”

Stuart Pearce, Trinity’s Director of UK & Ireland markets said, “Trinity’s relationship with Sir James and the Cumnock Tryst is very important to us and we are delighted to be able to support this invaluable and ground-breaking work. The publication of this book is a wonderful way to underpin the centre of excellence initiative and we look forward to a long and valuable collaboration, making a real difference to the lives of young musicians everywhere.”

The Cumnock Tryst is planning for the future!

The Cumnock Tryst understands the importance of our Festival to the local area and to the classical music scene in Scotland. 

So although we have to let you know that the Festival will not go ahead in its usual format this year, we are working in new ways to keep presenting classical music to the widest possible audience, both in our local areas and further afield.

Rather than wait a whole year to bring fantastic music and musicians to Cumnock, we are planning a series of concerts and events, which will comply with Government guidelines, over the first six months of 2021 before mounting the full festival again in October 2021. These events will be creatively re-invented to meet audiences’ new expectations of attending live music and delivered with the safety and enjoyment of both artists and audiences at their heart. 

Sir James MacMillan, founder and festival director of The Cumnock Tryst said, “Music is a very powerful tonic which can sustain us through difficult times and refresh our souls. Now more than ever we want to find ways to bring the best classical music to as wide as possible an audience in our local communities in Ayrshire and bring people together safely, to enjoy it. Although we cannot mount the festival as planned this year, we are planning some wonderful concerts over the first few months of next year to lift our souls. We look forward to sharing these with you soon.”

2020 promised to be a big year for The Cumnock Tryst with plans involving the significantly larger Barony Hall at the new Robert Burns Academy in Cumnock and the launch of our major new community project, the Musical Celebration of the Coalfields, which will span the next two to three years. 

Created and led by The Cumnock Tryst, The Musical Celebration of the Coalfields will involve around 15 local community groups and individual residents to create the event which will culminate in two major productions performed in Barony Hall, as a highlight of The Cumnock Tryst festivals in October 2021 and 2022. 

Working online on this project from late summer will allow the Tryst to establish connections with communities as we emerge from lockdown, and develop work that can then evolve in face-to-face workshops when it is safe for us to meet together. 

Those involved in the Musical will be at the heart of every part of writing, composing, producing and performing their stories and will be supported by industry professionals in the fields of creative writing, videography, photography, sound recording, opera and musical theatre. We’ll let you know over the summer how you can be involved.

Sir James MacMillan added, “Contributing to our local community is absolutely intrinsic to the work of the Tryst and the reason we exist. I am delighted that we are able to continue with our bold, new, ambitious celebration of the coalfields starting with the creation and submission of texts, sound postcards, photographs and video created and recorded in people’s local surroundings.” 

This ambitious musical celebration of the coalfields is possible thanks to the significant support of the Coalfield Communities Landscape Partnership and National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Tryst will, like many arts organisations, be getting in touch with you to ask your thoughts on what a return to live music events might look like and what will give you the confidence to return  - in order to develop new ways of staging events in the best possible way for audiences and artists.

Thank you so much for your support of The Cumnock Tryst. We will keep you up to date in the weeks ahead in how we are working to bring fantastic music and community experiences both online and live in Cumnock.

A Musical Celebration of the Coalfields

The Cumnock Tryst has been awarded a major grant to work with local communities to create a musical celebration of their own heritage, culture and environment.

The project is part of the Coalfield Communities Landscape Partnership for which East Ayrshire Council raised £2,220,500 through the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Coalfield Communities Landscape Partnership is made up of 22 projects, all working to benefit the people and the area.

“We are absolutely thrilled to receive such strong support from the Coalfield Communities Landscape Partnership and National Lottery Heritage Fund for our ambitious, musical celebration of the coalfields. It will make possible a two-year-long creative project with community groups, music organisations and young people from across the area. The Cumnock Tryst exists because of the communities in East Ayrshire so we are delighted that investment from such an extraordinary grant can now have a positive impact on so many lives. Huge thanks to the National Heritage Lottery Fund and all of you who play the National Lottery.” - Sir James MacMillan, Artistic Director – The Cumnock Tryst

The Musical Celebration of the Coalfields, created and led by The Cumnock Tryst, will involve around 15 local community groups who will be at the heart of every part of writing, composing, producing and performing their stories. It will involve industry professionals in the field of opera and music theatre to bring production, logistics, stage direction and technical skills to the project. With significant experience of working with community groups and with the musical direction of Sir James MacMillan, The Cumnock Tryst will draw on a wide range of knowledge and resources to ensure the highest quality experience for all participants and the creation of a truly spectacular community musical.

Two major productions will then be performed in Barony Hall, the new Robert Burns Academy concert hall, as a highlight of The Cumnock Tryst festivals in October 2021 and 2022.

This is an opportunity for local people to be involved in writing, composing, set design, costume design, set building, costume making, lighting and performing both on the stage or in the band of musicians.

Community and creativity are at the heart of The Cumnock Tryst. We know that every individual has the capacity to create something new, often in ways which might be hitherto unimaginable. The Musical Celebration of the Coalfields will give community groups across Cumnock and Doon Valley the opportunity to create a piece of music theatre reflecting their own response to their landscape, social history, community, people and place.

Music Club concert on 28th March Cancelled

The Cumnock Tryst is sad to announce the cancellation of its Music Club concert on 28th March of James MacMillan’s ’Since it was the day of preparation…'. Following close monitoring of the ever-changing situation regarding the global spread of COVID-19 and having held discussions with our performers, we all agree that our first priority is the health, safety and wellbeing of our artists, audiences, staff and volunteers. 

If you purchased a ticket through the RCS Box Office, they will refund you directly at 0141 332 5057 or boxoffice@rcs.ac.uk. The RCS box office will be closed from Friday, so there may be a delay in refunding any customers who paid by cash or cheque.

A message from Sir James MacMillan

“It is with sadness and frustration that The Cumnock Tryst has been forced to cancel its Music Club concert on 28 March with the Hebrides Ensemble and RCS Voices. When this devastating pandemic is over The Tryst will be back with even more resolve than ever that we can regenerate our communities in East Ayrshire with music and the arts. Music revives the soul, not just in the individual but at the core of society, and The Cumnock Tryst is aware of the consoling, transformative power of the music and the musicians that we bring to the area, and which exists in the hearts of many people in Cumnock and its surroundings. 

Never lose the hope and delight in life that music can bring!”

Supporting The Cumnock Tryst 2020

2020 is yet another special year for The Cumnock Tryst. Following six wonderful festivals, we’re beginning to increase our activity so that we can add concerts to your diaries all year round, in addition to expanding our education and community programme. Our festival format won’t change, but look out for even more star-studded concerts across the year in our Cumnock Tryst Music Club programme and new opportunities to explore your own creativity!
 
If you were able to join us during our 2019 festival, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. The fabulous mix of performances was topped off with a stunning finale of premieres to celebrate James MacMillan's 60th birthday, performed by our very own Tryst Festival Chorus. Whether you were able to be with us or not, thank you so much for your support, which very much helps to make our work as engaging as possible.

Our Create! project for pupils at The National Autistic Society’s Daldorch House School is up and running with weekly composition sessions being delivered by composer Matilda Brown and Drake Music Scotland. We will begin composition classes in the brand new Robert Burns Academy in Cumnock in the summer term and our festival chorus will be recruiting shortly for singers to take part in a world premiere in October’s festival. We're now very busy finalising our festival brochure and we look forward to sharing more details of another stunning programme when we launch on 3 May.

As always, it’s your ongoing support that allows us to plan ahead and ensure that we bring the world’s leading performers to Cumnock. If you haven’t supported us for a while, perhaps you might consider joining our Friends and Patrons scheme once again, and if you are one of our regular donors, we very much hope you will consider renewing your membership. With so much happening, perhaps you might consider increasing your support to the next level, but whatever your donation, please know how much we appreciate your involvement with the Tryst. 

You can find more details about our Friends and Patrons packages on our website at https://www.thecumnocktryst.com/support-us. If you would like to discuss a more bespoke package then please do get in touch, either at supportus@thecumnocktryst.com or by giving Jennifer a ring on 07958 748293.

We look forward to seeing you at an event in 2020, and meanwhile we send thanks as always, for helping us make The Cumnock Tryst a meeting place for music. 

With very best wishes,
from Team Tryst

Jennifer Martin appointed first Chief Executive of The Cumnock Tryst

Jen owens

The Cumnock Tryst is delighted to announce Jennifer Martin as its first Chief Executive.

The creation of the Chief Executive role is now critical for continuing the sustainable development of The Tryst, essential for the effective management and delivery of The Tryst’s activities during a time of growth and planned expansion.

The Cumnock Tryst is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation, founded and established in 2013 by Sir James MacMillan CBE to deliver a celebration of music-making in his home town of Cumnock.

For the last six years The Tryst has been a four-day music festival in venues across Cumnock and surrounding towns and villages bringing together a rich and eclectic programme of international classical musicians and world premieres by both James MacMillan and the uncanny number of emerging young voices on Scotland’s composition scene who come from Ayrshire, alongside a community Festival Chorus, sustained composition projects in local schools and appearances at the Festival Club of everyone from Barbara Dickson to the Farmers Choir.   

In 2018 The Observer sited it as its Classical Music Event of the Year. 2019 saw the Tryst win the Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Concert Series and Events and was nominated for the Classical Music Award at the South Bank Sky Arts Awards.

2020 will see the 7th Festival and a time of great development as the Tryst builds on its four-day festival into a year-round arts organisation which delivers a music club concert series with monthly performances and an exceptional engagement programme with many strands across the local community and with national and international significance.

The Tryst’s plans are ambitious. Recognising its potential impact and contribution Trinity College London has come on board as sponsor of the work to create a centre of excellence for the learning and teaching of composition and creative music-making, a project being delivered by the Tryst in partnership with East Ayrshire Council schools and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

This ambitious new strand of work develops and builds upon the mentoring and composition projects James MacMillan has led in recent years with The Sixteen, Genesis Sixteen and a wide range of exceptional emerging young composers in partnership with the Genesis Foundation.

The Tryst will continue its focus on nurturing emerging talent, local composers, singers and instrumentalists, cultivating their wellbeing and the social benefits of music making alongside major projects for children with additional support needs in partnership with The National Autistic Society, Drake Music Scotland, Live Music Now Scotland and Hebrides Ensemble.

There is also a plan to curate a programme of regular high-quality cultural events within a new professional standard concert hall at Cumnock’s Robert Burns Academy, to benefit both the community and the pupils within the school campus. The Academy is due to open in Autumn 2020.

All this work is devised to serve the Tryst’s purpose, which is to create vibrancy, be challenging, promote social regeneration, support emerging talent, and to connect artists and audiences through the transformational power of music. And to make Cumnock a renowned cultural destination through world class musical events, an exemplary year-round community engagement programme and an annual four-day festival.

Jennifer Martin is a composer who has spent almost 30 years working in music education and management, as a teacher and lecturer, an orchestral education manager and as a consultant. She joined the Tryst team as Senior Producer in 2019 having been on the Board since its inception. Her most recent posts were as Chief Executive of Hebrides Ensemble and Learning Manager at the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra while also working as a Composer in Education across Scotland. The range and diversity of her work has allowed her to maintain a strong compositional output, in addition to her fulfilling a number of projects/consultancies working with organisations including Creative Scotland, Music for Youth, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Ensemble, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Carnegie UK Trust, Horsecross Perth and Hear My Music.

James MacMillan, Artistic Director of the Cumnock Tryst said “This new role reflects the level of experience and knowledge required across strategic planning, creative development, governance and operational delivery. It sends an important message about The Tryst’s credibility and professionalism to our current and potential stakeholders, funders and patrons. Jennifer is perfect for this role and I look forward to working with her to build a wonderful future for music in Cumnock and further afield.”

Hannah Rarity and Luc McNally Q&A

How did you both meet and start performing together?

We both met while studying Scottish Music are the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2013. Recognising one another’s interest in traditional song, we enjoyed playing and recording together as part of the course and soon built up a sizeable repertoire between us and began playing gigs in and around Glasgow as a duo. We were also both in the final of the 2018 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition.

Hannah Rarity and Luc McNally

What do each of you bring to the duo musically & what sort of influences do you draw from in your music?

Each of us brings song ideas and we regularly share recordings/new musical findings we would like to work on and develop together. Hannah has an extensive Scots song repertoire and this initially formed the majority of our set, but as we’ve performed over the years we’ve included songs from Irish, American and English song traditions, as well as covers of folk songwriters. Luc is influenced by his roots in the North East of England and is an experienced accompanist, great tune player and singer. Each of us also write our own songs and tunes. 

What are you planning to perform at the Cumnock Tryst Music Club?

Our set will include traditional and cover material from different regions, industries and people of Scotland and beyond, alongside some of our own compositions.

Why did you choose these pieces?

We performed as part of The Cumnock Tryst Festival Club a couple of years ago as part of trio ‘Kilda’ and had a fantastic time and enjoyed engaging with the audience and getting them singing along, so we will be including some similar repertoire. We adjust our sets between each performance in order to best suit the audience we’ll be performing for, whilst including new material we are enjoying playing at the time.

What do you have planned as a duo for 2020?

We are both heading on a 3 week tour of Germany alongside two other BBC Young Traditional Musician finalists in February and have performances and projects as a duo as part of the Live Music Now scheme throughout the year. We will also be on the next TMSA (Traditional Music and Song Association) Young Trad album and tour, taking place later this year.

Luc will also be busy with his bands Snuffbox and Dosca and Hannah has plans to record a second album and tour with her main band line up.

The Cumnock Tryst Music Club - Hamish Macleod and Robbie Greig to replace Knox and Ion Duo

Unfortunately, Knox and Ion Duo have had to withdraw from this Saturday’s Music Club concert due to illness. However, we are delighted that Robbie Grieg and Hamish Macleod have agreed perform for us at short notice. Veterans of Scotland’s vibrant music scene, guitarist Hamish Macleod and fiddler Robbie Greig draw on their Gaelic roots to generate toe tapping tunes that are sure to have any audience on their feet. We can’t wait.

Hamish Macleod and Robbie Greig

Fiddle/Guitar/Vocals

Throughout the course of their career, guitarist Hamish Macleod and fiddler Robbie Greig have drawn on their Gaelic roots to help them craft music which is shaped as much by tradition as it is by Scotland’s modern musical landscape.

Having learned their trade in Glasgow’s sessions and on the stages of countless music festivals, the duo know exactly how to please a crowd.

When not performing as a duo, they form part of MG Alba Trad Award ‘Up and Coming Artist’ nominees, Inyal, with whom they have appeared on BBC Alba and RTÉ, as well as on the main stages of festivals around the country, including Celtic Connections and the Hebridean Celtic Festival.

They also perform with Tannara, The Paul McKenna Band, Bell Rock Ceilidh Band and Suas. Together, their friendly and engaging performances put audiences at the heart of the show, as well as showcasing fiddle styles and songs from disparate corners of the world. Driving tunes sit alongside songs which are a sure-fire hit, while entertaining stories are offset with a wealth of information about Gaelic musical traditions.

Hamish and Robbie joined Live Music Now in January 2018.

The Cumnock Tryst wins a Royal Philharmonic Society Award

The Cumnock Tryst has won a prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Award in the Concert Series and Events category, sponsored by PRS for Music!  The prize was presented at an awards ceremony at London’s Battersea Arts Centre last night, and recognised the Tryst’s success in shining a light on local musicians as equals to its international visiting artists.

Sir James MacMillan, the Cumnock Tryst’s founder and Artistic Director, said:

“To have achieved this international recognition after only a few years is astonishing for me. The whole development of The Cumnock Tryst has been a labour of love for all of us involved, and a source of great delight and pride as it has evolved. The encouragement and help we have received from our audiences, volunteers, local schools, East Ayrshire Council and all our supporters and friends has been consistently wonderful.

“We have huge aspirations for how to build the Tryst and cultivate our strengths and activities in the coming years. It will be a pleasure to proceed on this ongoing journey with an RPS Award as recognition at this early stage.”

Full details of the other award winners can be found here: https://royalphilharmonicsociety.org.uk/rps_today/news/winners-announced-at-the-2019-rps-awards

James MacMillan on The Cumnock Tryst Music Club

“The original Cumnock Music Club saw its heyday in the sixties and seventies, where under the helm of the now legendary local music-lover R.D. Hunter it became known as one of the most active and exciting clubs of its kind in the country. He worked hard to get some brilliant musicians to perform in Cumnock, performances that had a profound effect on me as a young musician in my teens.

I have very fond memories of going to see the Berlin Octet, and even the first concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic, Leon Spierer, perform a solo violin recital in the town. The famous Irish flautist James Galway was also one of the artists invited to the club. They performed in venues which the Cumnock Tryst still uses to this day, including the assembly hall at Cumnock Academy, the Dumfries Arms and the magnificent Dumfries House.  Having such high-calibre musical talent visit my home town was tremendously exciting and I got as involved as I could by volunteering to be a page turner for visiting pianists!

 It has always been a goal of the Cumnock Tryst to have a year-round presence in the local area and it has been clear from the fantastic support from the local community and from further afield that the appetite is there for music-making throughout the year. The new Cumnock Tryst Music Club will provide the same welcoming and fun atmosphere and innovative programming that audiences know and love from our annual festival. 

On the 1 December we’re tremendously excited to welcome the Piano Quartet from the RSNO to the beautiful tapestry room of Dumfries House for an afternoon of Mahler, Schumann and Brahms. On 18 January the dynamic Knox and Ion duo will bring a mix of Latin, world and jazz music to the Dumfries Arms Hotel. We’ll also be at the Dumfries Arms on 21 February for the return of Scottish folk duo Hannah Rarity and Luc McNally – Tryst-goers might remember their spellbinding performance at the Festival Club in 2018. Our friends at the Hebrides Ensemble join forces with the RCS Voices for what is set to be a very special evening in St John’s Church on the 28 March, while the season will close with a thrilling afternoon of clarinet duos (TRIOS) from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on 3 May. They’ll be joined at Dumfries House by the SCO’s newly instated Principal Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev on piano.

We do hope to see you at the concerts and share in the joy of music making in our home town.”

The Cumnock Tryst Music Club - RSNO Piano Quartet Q & A

With the very first concert in our brand new Cumnock Tryst Music Club series kicking off at Dumfries House this weekend, we caught up with Lorna from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Piano Quartet to find out a bit more about the ensemble and what they have in store for Cumnock audiences.

Can you tell us a little about how the RSNO Piano Quartet came to be?

 As well as playing together most days as members of the RSNO, myself (Lorna), Sophie and Betsy live near each other in Glasgow. One time I suggested that we get together to play some chamber music, and the dynamic just worked! Sophie and Betsy had worked with Ed before, so he seemed an obvious choice of pianist. When we played together for the first time a couple of years ago we all enjoyed it so much that we decided that we should do it more!

Why did you choose the programme you have for the Cumnock Tryst Music Club?

We seem to gravitate towards Romantic repertoire! It makes sense to choose music that we all love, and clearly we all have the same taste! The Mahler was a bit more of an unusual choice. It’s always interesting to discover music that is less well known. Last year we played a very early Sibelius piano quartet together, and this year it’s early Mahler. There isn’t much of a “tradition” when it comes to how lesser-known pieces are performed, so it feels more like we can create our own unique approach!

Can you explain a little about what audiences can expect from the programme if they haven’t heard the pieces before?

The Mahler is quite unlike his more famous symphonies. It is more simplistic in its harmonies and texture, and makes for quite easy listening! However, there’s still room for many of the emotional aspects you might expect in Mahler’s music - overall it has a quite a brooding atmosphere, but there are moments of quiet intimacy as well as passion.

Although the Schumann is a Romantic work, he still seemed to have one foot in the past. Some of it sounds quite Classical, and towards the end of the last movement, there is a section in which the violin and viola parts could have been lifted straight from Bach (though, typically for Schumann, the piano is going crazy alongside us!). 

Brahms is known for having a more contained approach to Romanticism in his music. He never goes over the top - but in his chamber music, his passionate side seems to be given more of a voice. He certainly doesn’t seem to have held back in this wonderful Piano Quartet!

Do you think it’s important for professional musicians such as yourselves to play for audiences in more rural areas, away from the big concert halls of the main cities?

It’s absolutely essential! None of us grew up in big cities, so we would not have had exposure to live music if it only happened in the cities. Listening to music live is a completely different experience to listening to a recording, and the opportunity to hear that should be open to everyone, no matter whether they live.

Royal Scottish National Orchestra Piano Quartet

Sunday 1 December 2019, 3pm - Dumfries House

The Cumnock Tryst announces project with Daldorch House School, Create!

Create! is a new project by The Cumnock Tryst in partnership with Live Music Now Scotland, Hebrides Ensemble, Drake Music Scotland and Daldorch House School (National Autistic Society)

We’ve made a short film which describes the work now underway at the Daldorch House School. Create! offers the students the opportunity to experience live music in a place where they are comfortable and to start exploring how they might create music themselves, while also allowing the partners to learn more about how to work with people who have autism. It is hoped this will enrich the pupil’s lives and develop professional learning.