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          blue background, A younf woman holding a large black sign that says VOTE ! in white letters

          Scottish elections: young people more likely to vote if they started at 16 – new study

          Healthcare word seen in a scrabble

          “Leave no one behind” – the Health Foundation’s report into health inequalities in Scotland 2023.

          Sign saying NHS Greater Galsgow & Clyde in front of a hospital building

          Concern over patients waiting in corridors for free beds at Glasgow Superhospital

          A row of tall houses on the left, with parked cars in front on the side of the street

          Saving Scotland’s tenements

          Ben Nevis. Forground has green shrubbery, then background a mountain with two tops. Blue sky with a few streaky clouds

          Exploring the Highest Mountain in the British Isles: A Guide to Ben Nevis

          Image via Steller Systems, a potential candidate.

          Cancelling future frigates could be final nail in the coffin for the UK

          A hospital corridor with trolleys on the sides.

          Glasgow hospitals halt non-urgent operations due to pressure

          A scene of people demonstrating, holding Scotland flags. One man wears a tartan cap and holds a blue flag with both the Scottish cross and the EU stars on it.

          Is Alister Jack sane?

          Cartoon by Stan

          Film reviews award season

          Trending Tags

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          blue background, A younf woman holding a large black sign that says VOTE ! in white letters

          Scottish elections: young people more likely to vote if they started at 16 – new study

          A scene of people demonstrating, holding Scotland flags. One man wears a tartan cap and holds a blue flag with both the Scottish cross and the EU stars on it.

          Is Alister Jack sane?

          Image Malcom Laverty

          The Brown plan

          The climate change impacts of Russia’s war with Ukraine

          Britain wastes £1bn on drones to monitor English Channel

          The Autumn Statement – time to take a closer look

          Photo Mtaylor848, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

          Christmas cheer for Tesco if grim reading for the political classes

          Scottish independence isn’t going away

          Russia as a low-tech nation

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          Rosyth shipyard attracts UK Government contract to maintain fleet of scientific research vessels

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          Why doing business in Scotland may be better for your corporate wellbeing

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          Photo Mtaylor848, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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              Amateur orchestra delivers rousing performance in first post-lockdown concert

              World premiere launches Glasgow’s Merchant Sinfonia’s triumphant return

              Martin RochebyMartin Roche
              26-01-2023 07:00
              in Arts & Entertainment, Culture
              close up picture of part of a violin

              Violin close up. Picture provided by Martin Roche, with permission.

              Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

              There was a choice of top-flight afternoon entertainment in Glasgow on Sunday 15 January. At Hampden Park, Rangers and Aberdeen were fighting for a place in the final of the Scottish League Cup. Being a supporter of Greenock Morton, Hampden was not an option for me. I decided on high culture. It was the right decision and what great value it was for £5. I opted for the Merchant Sinfonia’s Winter Concert, the first public performance by this amateur orchestra since before the pandemic.

              Under the baton and sense of fun of its conductor, Louise Martin, the orchestra lit up the City Hall. 

              Once an ensemble that benefited from the expertise, direction and cheque book of BBC Scotland, the Sinfonia is now independent of the Corporation. These days it must find its funding from other sources. A prominent funder is Glasgow Life, Glasgow City Council’s charitable foundation. In a city that reinvented itself as a global destination of the arts and culture, it is entirely fitting that an amateur orchestra is supported from public funds. The people of Glasgow appear to support it too. There was a big, warm and appreciative audience for the Winter Concert. 

              A heady hour of glorious music brought us Bizet, Vivaldi and that Scottish favourite, Hamish MacCunn’s Land of the Mountain and the Flood. William Alwyn’s Suite of Scottish Dances came next. 

              Overture: Revival – a hopeful piece of music

              MacCunn had set the stage for the world premiere of Overture: Revival, by another West of Scotland composer, the distinguished musician Eddie McGuire, who was in the audience. His Revival marks the world re-emerging from the pandemic. In the hands of Louise Martin and her players, McGuire’s overture lifted the heart. Your correspondent has no qualifications to comment on the piece other than to say he enjoyed it and hopes to hear it again. It’s a composition that might help give Glasgow a wee nudge to a better future, as the city and its people face a world where hope and confidence are much needed. 

              The encore: a fitting surprise

              Along with the rest of the audience, I thought the Merchant Sinfonia’s spirited rendition of Beethoven’s Egmont Overture marked the end of the orchestra’s first outing of 2023. But these happy people wanted to play on, so we had an encore of the theme from Dr Who. That was entirely fitting, for the Merchant Sinfonia is a bit like the TARDIS: it can take you to new, unexpected, and exciting worlds on a dank January Sunday afternoon. 

              All hail the Merchant Sinfonia. Can I sum the experience up in one word? Yes, I can. Fun. 

              More information

              The Merchant Sinfonia also calls itself Glasgow’s Community Orchestra and it’s looking for more players (visit the website at https://merchantsinfonia.org.uk/). 


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              Martin Roche

              Martin Roche

              Aged 15, Martin began his working life on a Scottish evening newspaper. He then ran his family business before reading politics and international relations at Aberdeen University, as a mature student. He worked in London in investment promotion attraction for Scottish development agencies, followed by a 35-year career in international PR consultancy. He has been a columnist on African Leadership magazine, commenting on geopolitics, a regular contributor to foreign direct investment media and has written for business publications worldwide. He recently returned to Scotland. He lives in Glasgow.

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