5 - 15 September 2024
'An indispensable part of Scotland's music culture.'
The Times *****

'Lammermuir Festival is one of the biggest classical music events on the UK’s classical calendar that has entertained and engaged audiences and presented Scottish and international performers with worldwide reputations.' The Herald

What’s on in September 2023

The 2023 Lammermuir Festival

Once again our beautiful, historic county was the setting for a festival of beautiful music performed by some of the world’s finest musicians. We were delighted to welcome back the great harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani as our Artist in Residence with five programmes demonstrating the breadth and depth of his artistry. Scottish Opera gave us the Scottish premiere of Richard Strauss’s spellbinding late opera Daphne and a superb new ensemble, Spunicunifait, performed all six of Mozart’s string quintets.

The Gesualdo Six and Fretwork marked William Byrd’s 400th anniversary in dramatic style, and in the company of The Marian Consort and Dr Lizzie Swarbrick explored the early history, both architectural and musical of Haddington’s magnificent St Mary’s Church to mark the 50th anniversary of its restoration. The wonderful violinist Alina Ibragimova partnered our patron Steven Osborne in Prokofiev violin sonatas, and Steven’s performance of the Tippett Piano Concerto will be a very special occasion indeed.

We welcomed back the virtuoso Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective - a superb ensemble of leading British instrumentalists - with three programmes, and we are delighted that 2023 also marked the start of an ongoing collaboration with the Maxwell String Quartet.

 

What the press say

‘There’s a quiet class about the whole thing that generates a special kind of listening: for all the dark arts of conjuring festival ambience, Lammermuir tends to simply programme right and let the music do the talking’

The Guardian ****

‘It is part of the festival’s appeal that it takes audiences to locations that are beautiful in and of themselves, and it exposes them to great music that seems to fit each place like a glove.’

Seen and Heard International

‘The Festival’s strapline is Beautiful Music, Beautiful Places. It fulfils its promise.’

The Observer ****

‘There is something very special about walking through nature to get to a concert.’

Steven Osborne, Lammermuir Festival Patron

‘A wide range of inventive music-making taking place with some of Scotland’s most stunning scenery as its backdrop.’

BBC Music Magazine

‘Locations and music in perfect harmony’

The Scotsman

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