Haddo Arts Festival 2020

Haddo Arts

Haddo Arts Festival 2020 (3-10 October) goes virtual in response to the pandemic, as a series of YouTube Premieres on the Haddo Arts channel, hosted by broadcaster and long-time friend of Haddo, Jamie MacDougall. Focussed on music, the programme also features comedy, an illustrated talk on Byron and a new digital musical from Haddo Children’s Theatre. Preview trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHKWkxKpADc. 

The Festival opens on Saturday 3 October with a tour de force by jazz pianist Richard Michael BEM, recorded at Haddo in August, with a small, socially distanced and enthusiastic audience, with thanks to Haddo House Choral & Operatic Society for permission to use the Haddo Steinway.

Sunday afternoon: Longstanding violin and piano duo, Gina McCormack and Nigel Clayton play sonatas by Beethoven and Debussy, as well as three short pieces by Kreisler was recorded at Mellerstain House, Nr, Kelso, by kind permission of the Earl of Haddington and the Mellerstain Trust. 

Tuesday evening begins with Laura Smith (clarinet) and Colin Sinclair (piano) of North East Scotland Music School. Their short recital of music by Heinrich Baermann and Robert Schumann, contemporaries of George Gordon, Lord Byron, sets the scene for arts lecturer Liz Merry’s insights into the life and legacy of the Romantic poet, who spent his childhood at Gight Castle, near Haddo.

Haddo favourite and comic character, Myrtle Throgmorton, brings us a very special tour of Haddo House on Monday 5 October, chatting, socially distanced, with the interesting and talented folk she meets on her way.

"Song for Haddo: Fables and Foibles" is the virtual performance of new songs and music inspired by paintingsof Aesops Fables in the foyer at Haddo, by 150 young singers and wind players from Aberdeenshire, professional players from Music Co-OPERAtive Scotland and youngsters from Dunbar Voices.