The first weekend of the Kirkcudbright Festival of Light attracted visitors to a range of events and attractions including workshops to make lanterns for next Saturday\u2019s parade and fireworks.<\/p>\n
The coming days promise activities and entertainments of all kinds, leading up to Sunday\u2019s finale which will be a performance by the Scottish Ensemble, billed as the UK\u2019s leading string orchestra.<\/p>\n
In addition to the parade, Saturday will also see a free outdoor performance of a dance theatre production called Orographic<\/em>by Oceanallover, nationally renowned for their music and amazing costumes (see trailer here<\/a>).<\/p>\n Visitors to the Kirkcudbright Galleries, which opened this summer, can also see two special festival exhibits.<\/p>\n One is the Illumaphonium<\/em>which is an interactive, multi-sensory, music making installation created by musician and inventor Michael Davis.<\/p>\n The semi-acoustic, semi-automatic, multi-player musical sculpture stands 3.5 metres tall and has a hundred illuminated chime bars that each respond to touch, sending wave-like patterns of light and sound across its surface.<\/p>\n The second exhibit is called Glass Sculpture<\/em>and has been created by Swedish born glassmaker, Elin Isaksson. It reflects the coastal heritage of Kirkcudbright, in Dumfries and Galloway, and was inspired by the ideas of the children of Kirkcudbright Primary School.<\/p>\n Colin Saul, one of the festival organisers, said:<\/strong>\u201cWe had a wonderful opening weekend \u2013 people loved the events, the gallery exhibits and we had a packed audience for our opera performance by Emma Morwood.<\/p>\n \u201cThe second weekend promises even more, with superb live entertainment on Saturday from Oceanallover plus the parade and fireworks, followed on Sunday with the Scottish Ensemble.<\/p>\n \u201cKirkcudbright is a great place to visit, and the quality of its light has inspired many generations of artists. It\u2019s great to have a festival that celebrates all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n Sally Hobson, former Head of Creative Learning for the Edinburgh International Festival <\/strong>has curated the international programme. She said: \u201cWe are really looking forward to welcoming the Scottish Ensemble. This concert is a delightful opportunity to hear atmospheric pieces performed by the UK’s leading string orchestra and it will be a fitting finale to the Kirkcudbright Festival of Light.\u201d<\/p>\n Running from 5-14 October the festival has been created around the theme of light. Attractions for the rest of the festival include:<\/p>\n Three colourful and quirky harbour beach huts, which are part of the Kirkcudbright Art and Crafts Trail, have each been turned into a miniature world: the smallest ever opera house (complete with piano), a writer\u2019s retreat and a section of a WWI trench.<\/p>\n Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events for VisitScotland, said:<\/strong>\u201cWe are delighted to be supporting the Kirkcudbright Festival of Light, this year with specific funding going towards enhancing its music programme. Scotland is the perfect stage for cultural events, and the Scottish Ensemble concert will delight audiences from both the local community and from further afield, and will no doubt end this wonderful 10-day celebration of music, light, art and performance on a high.\u201d<\/p>\n About Scottish Ensemble<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Scottish Ensemble is the UK\u2019s leading string orchestra and will explore the clarinet quintets of Mozart and Brahms, with clarinettist Matthew Hunt. Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A major. Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor. John Luther Adams: The Wind in High Places [movement 2].<\/p>\n Mozart and Brahms wrote just one clarinet quintet each, both in the final years of their lives. But it\u2019s their inherent quality and charm, not only their solitary status, which has always made these quintets stand out amongst each composer\u2019s repertoire.<\/p>\n Mozart\u2019s is now not only one of his best-known pieces, but one of the most cherished in the clarinet repertoire, and it\u2019s easy to see why: moments of understated virtuosity bloom from a soft, calm, mellow beauty.<\/p>\n Brahms\u2019 quintet \u2013 modelled on Mozart\u2019s, as so many of his works are \u2013 is similarly autumnal in mood, with waves of contemplative major and melancholic minor moods shifting like sunlight.<\/p>\n About Orographic<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The dance theatre production fromOceanallover is inspired by mountains, landscapes, ecology \u2013 and our reaction to them. The piece is designed and directed by Alex Rigg, from Moniaive, and devised in collaboration with the cast: Joey Sanderson, Breezy Elthalion, Richie Merchant, Ross MacRae, Laini Chrismas, Lewis Sherlock, Phil Alexander MacDonald, Jen Cunningham, Peter Tagg& Alex Rigg.<\/p>\n Orographic and is supported by DGUnlimited, Creative Scotland and Feral Arts.<\/p>\n The Kirkcudbright Festival of Light is supported by Dumfries and Galloway Council and EventScotland.<\/p>\n – Ends –<\/p>\n For further information and interview requests contact Matthew Shelley on 07786 704299 or <\/strong>Matthew@ScottishFestivalsPR.Org<\/strong>\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n The festival has been made possible by \u00a329,000 of support by DGC as part of its Major Festivals and Events Strategy 2018-2021 which aims to make the region the best area in rural Scotland in which to plan, manage, deliver and visit great events.<\/p>\n About EventScotland\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n EventScotland is working to make Scotland the perfect stage for events. By developing an exciting portfolio of sporting and cultural events EventScotland is helping to raise Scotland\u2019s international profile and boost the economy by attracting more visitors. For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and latest event news visit www.EventScotland.org<\/a>. Follow EventScotland on Twitter @EventScotNews<\/a>.<\/p>\n EventScotland is a team within VisitScotland\u2019s Events Directorate, the national tourism organisation which markets Scotland as a tourism destination across the world, gives support to the tourism industry and brings sustainable tourism growth to Scotland. For more information about VisitScotland see www.visitscotland.org<\/a>or for consumer information on Scotland as a visitor destination see www.visitscotland.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
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