Cumnock Tryst festival returns this week

The Cumnock Tryst festival is set to return to the Scottish town of Cumnock this week, with a programme of concerts running from 29 September to 2 October.

Starting off with a performance from traditional Scottish duo: fiddler Aly Bain and accordionist Phil Cunningham, the festival includes a mix of jazz, sacred and gospel music, as well as classical music in the form of the King’s Singers who return to the festival for a concert on 30 September.

Composer Sir James Macmillan, who founded the festival in 2013 said: ‘I knew that a festival would work [in Cumnock] because the love of music is something I felt in Ayrshire as a youngster, seeing it in the community around me. Taking inspiration from earlier composer-led festivals such as Aldeburgh and St Magnus the aim has always been to bring great musicians to the town, while growing the community engagement in musical activities, such as the Festival Chorus, composition in schools and giving a platform for local groups to participate and perform.’

This year’s festival includes two new works by Sir James, which will premiere in a concert held in memory of festival chorus and Cumnock Area Musical Production Society (CAMPS) member Scott Riddex. The memorial concert on 2 October will feature CAMPS alongside the Festival Chorus and Ayrshire Symphony Orchestra led by conductor John Wilson.

Another of Sir James’ new works was heard for the first time recently at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II during which his anthem Who Shall Separate Us? was played.

Sir James said: ‘It was a great honour to write this funeral anthem, knowing as I did that it would be sung by the Choirs of Westminster Abbey and His Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, and conducted by James O’Donnell... The anthem culminates in a series of ecstatic Alleluias, the eight vocal lines rippling up and down before settling to a serene Amen. It was my way of expressing joy at the gift of the Queen’s life with us these last 96 years.’

The festival also welcomes it’s first international performers including Latvian pianist Arta Arnicane, who gives a recital on 2 October. Also featured will be A Musical Celebration of the Coalfields, a concert presenting a work in progress version of a composition and community project of Sir James’ creation alongsidelocal brass ensemble Merchant City Brass.

Sir James said: ‘The Coalfields project is one of our most ambitious community music initiatives for years. The main event will be in 2023 when ten separate groups, having made their own texts and devised their own music under the guidance of a team of composers and other musicians will come together with the BBC SSO, conducted by me in a kind of oratorio.’