Шотландский духовой квинтет с кларнетами выступит в Корбридже в рамках трансграничного тура

A CLARINET choir will perform a concert in Corbridge as part of a cross-border tour. The Scottish Clarinet Choir, under the direction of artistic director and conductor John Cushing, will appear at St Andrew’s Church on Saturday, September 12, at 7pm. The performance is part of a wider tour that includes a concert the following evening at St Michael’s Church in Alnwick. The Corbridge concert will feature an eclectic programme of music, including a new work by composer Scott Rynn in its English premiere. The programme begins with W.A. Mozart’s Overture to the Marriage of Figaro, arranged by P. Harvey, followed by P. Harvey’s Young Person’s Guide to Clarinet Choir and Eric Whitacre’s October, arranged by C. Mooney. The first half concludes with Scott Rynn’s Blue Garden and B. Smetana’s Dance of the Comedians. After the interval, the choir will perform G. Verdi’s Overture from the Force of Destiny, G. Butterworth’s Banks of Green Willow, and G. Jacob’s Wind in the Reeds. The programme continues with P. Richards’ A Butterfly Coughs in Africa, G. Gershwin’s Promenade (Walking the Dog), and L. Boëllmann’s Suite Gothique. The concert concludes with B. Appleston’s Scottish Folk Song Suite. John Cushing, who was principal clarinet of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra from 1978 to 2014, is well known to Scottish audiences and has performed all the major clarinet concertos with leading conductors. He is the dedicatee of James MacMillan’s concerto Ninian, which he premiered in 1998. Mr Cushing has given numerous world and Scottish premieres of works for solo clarinet and small ensembles, and has performed recitals and masterclasses across the UK and Europe. He teaches at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and has former students in orchestras around the world. In 2014, he received an Honorary Doctorate from the conservatoire, and in 2015 he was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society Salamon Prize. Mr Cushing also serves as director of the Harrogate Clarinet Summer School. The Scottish Clarinet Choir was established in January 2019 and is made up of professional musicians, teachers, students, and amateur players from across Scotland. Their debut performance took place in April 2019 and featured Yann Ghiro, principal clarinet with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, as guest soloist. The concert also included two world premieres written for the occasion. The choir meets monthly at Queen Victoria School in Dunblane and has performed in venues including the Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Kelso, and Grangemouth. Their 2026 season began with a concert at Paisley Abbey and now continues with performances in Northumberland. The choir has previously performed with internationally acclaimed musicians such as Nicholas Baldeyrou, soloist and member of the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, and flautist Katherine Bryan, principal with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The ensemble is known for its diverse repertoire, which includes both standard and original works for clarinet choir. Following the Corbridge and Alnwick concerts, the Scottish Clarinet Choir will perform at Dunblane Cathedral on October 4, Grangemouth Parkview Church on November 1, and Paisley Abbey on February 27, 2027. More information about the choir and its upcoming performances can be found at scottishclarinetchoir.co.uk.