Since 2004 Scotland’s national orchestra has been committed to its Out and About programme – annual, week-long residencies in areas of the country which are not frequently visited by a national performing arts organisation. In partnership with Shetland Arts and supported by Creative Scotland; Loganair; TOTAL E&P UK Limited; Capital Solutions; NorthLink Ferries; and Shetland Islands Council, 70 RSNO musicians will journey from the Orchestra’s base in Glasgow to Shetland and integrate with the local communities by learning, creating and performing music.

The RSNO has been preparing for this trip for well over a year. In 2011 the RSNO commissioned Shetland-born composer and award-winning traditional fiddler Chris Stout to compose a substantial work for orchestra which will serve as the centrepiece of the Orchestra’s Sunday evening concert.

Chris also wrote a motif which has been used as the starting point of a composition and performance project, driven by collaboration between RSNO and Shetland musicians. Four groups from the RSNO visited the Islands last October and made contact with a number of Shetland-based traditional musicians, armed with Chris Stout’s ‘musical kernel’. Since the initial visit the four groups have worked together with Chris in Shetland, in Glasgow and online, producing four distinct works inspired by his original melody.

Award-winning traditional musician and composer Chris Stout said: “I’m delighted that the RSNO will be visiting Shetland. It’s a nice feeling to know that the excitement and anticipation felt by the visiting musicians will be shared by the local community. This project allows musicians to share ideas on a huge scale and I’m certain everyone will come out of it feeling energised and fulfilled.

“It is this sense of sharing knowledge which has been the main inspiration behind my piece Tingaholm. Although it exists as a complete work it stays true to the tradition that I have been brought up with. It is open to the interpretation of some of the finest musicians in Shetland, in collaboration with members of the RSNO. I can’t wait to hear the results!”

On Friday 2 March the four ensembles will perform their new works as well as traditional tunes and contributions from the RSNO musicians at separate locations in Shetland’s outer isles, each marking geographic points of the compass; Unst (Baltasound Junior High School), Outer Skerries (Skerries Junior High School), Foula (Primary School) and Fair Isle (Primary School). They will perform concerts connected via live video link to each other as well as transmitted live to the Garrison Theatre in Lerwick. The Outer Isles Project starts at 7.30pm and all associated events in the outer isles are free of charge, but booking is recommended. To book tickets for each respective event, please click on the event you’d like to attend: Unst, Outer Skerries, Foula, Fair Isle.

The RSNO Brass Quintet will present Bigton Brass Concert, an afternoon programme featuring music by Bizet, Beethoven, Gershwin and Mancini, at Bigton Hall on Saturday from 3.00pm. To buy tickets for this event, please click here. Also on Saturday is Busta Recital; RSNO Violin Paul Medd will be performing a solo recital in the Long Room of the historic Busta House Hotel on the shore of Busta Voe at 2.30pm. To buy tickets for this event, please click here.

On Friday RSNO Leader James Clark will provide masterclasses for local young string players before they join the RSNO to perform at St Columba’s Church, Lerwick on Saturday night. Members of the RSNO will also be offering mentoring opportunities to members of the Shetland Community Orchestra.

St Columba’s Church, Lerwick on Saturday 3 March is the venue for the Big Kirk Chamber Concert, with the Orchestra’s Leader James Clark joined by strings, brass and woodwind from the RSNO and local young musicians side-by-side. As part of the programme James will perform Mozart’s First Violin Concerto which he previously performed at 2011’s Edinburgh International Festival to universal critical acclaim. The concert starts at 7.30pm to purchase tickets, please click here.

The RSNO returns to its symphonic proportions for The Sunday Symphony, on 4 March at the Clickimin Leisure Complex, Lerwick – for the Orchestra’s 21st anniversary since its last full performance in the town. The programme, conducted by Austrian David Danzmayr, includes Britten’s Four Sea Interludes, Sibelius’s Symphony No1 and the world première of Fair Isle-born musician Chris Stout’s Tingaholm. To purchase tickets for this event, please click here.

On Monday 5 March the full force of the visiting musicians will be heard once more, this time for the RSNO’s schools concert Heroes and Rogues. One of the finest presenters and animateurs in the business, Paul Rissmann will guide the young concert-goers through a musical journey, exploring key musical concepts linked to the curriculum. The school groups attending the concert have been preparing for the visit by participating in an online workshop with Paul Rissmann and RSNO musicians using the online community for Scottish schools, Glow.

Two groups of RSNO musicians present specially adapted versions of the Orchestra’s award-winning concert programme for pre-school children, Monster Music, at Brae High School, Clickimin Leisure Complex, Lerwick, Sandwick Junior High School and Mid Yell Community Hall. Tickets are £3 per child and free for accompanying adults. To book tickets for the respective events, please click on the event you’d like to attend: Brae, Lerwick, Sandwick, Yell.

Working with Shetland’s Community Mental Health team, members of the Orchestra have devised a tailor-made creative workshop for patients, to be held at the Clickimin Centre on Saturday. RSNO musicians are also catering for those who are unable to attend the RSNO performances, with a number of informal performances planned in residential care homes across the islands during the visit.

Ellen Thomson, Director of Education and Community Partnerships said: “Bringing together two fantastic musical traditions was the source of inspiration for the RSNO’s Out and About week in Shetland and I am delighted that we’ve been able to do this in such a creative way. This project brings with it the usual RSNO ingredients, full orchestral concerts, inspirational music making for young people, tailor-made community workshops and small-scale performances as well as collaboration with some of Shetland’s finest musicians.”

Shetland Arts Director Gwilym Gibbons said: “This is a hugely ambitious and exciting project and one that has been a long term ambition of Shetland Arts and the RSNO. I am delighted that Shetland Arts and RSNO are working in partnership to bring the orchestra to Shetland. It is very rare for a full symphony orchestra to commit to overcoming the enormous logistical challenge of getting to an island location like ours, let alone head out to our own outer isles of Fair Isle, Outer Skerries, Foula and Unst.”

For more information on the activities of the RSNO during Out and About in Shetland go to www.rsno.org.uk or contact Shetland Box Office on 01595 745555 or www.shetlandboxoffice.org

The Wicker Tree will be screened at The Garrison Theatre on Wednesday night at 7:30pm. Although tickets are free you are advised to book a place through the Shetland Box Office.

At this time Shetland Arts and its Design Team don’t have a detailed and fully completed programme of works from DITT Construction Ltd on which to make a judgement as to whether or not the building will be completed on 25 May 2012. The period of delay to date and changing picture gives Shetland Arts great concern.

In light of this it is with great regret that the Board of Shetland Arts has concluded that it cannot confirm any dates in relation to the opening of Mareel or subsequent events until DITT Construction Ltd hand over a fully completed building. This difficult decision comes after carefully reviewing the information available and taking into account previous multiple assurances of completion dates followed by notification of significant delays. Clearly this makes it very difficult for Shetland Arts to programme activity in the building with confidence or for promoters wishing to make bookings to have faith in the dates we offer.  In order to reduce further distress to those who wish to use the building and for Shetland Arts to mitigate loss wherever possible, we will now only confirm bookings for events after practical completion is certified, which will likely result in the first events taking place in Mareel 6 to 8 weeks after the keys have been handed over.

There are many rumours circulating regarding reasons for construction delays, including recent claims by DITT Construction Ltd on specific aspects of the construction. It is the view of Shetland Arts that it is unprofessional to play out contractual issues within the public arena. Such issues should be dealt with either pre or post completion of the contract through due process between Shetland Arts, our professional advisers, and our contractor. So although Shetland Arts would like at times to contest what is being said and offer counter factual information, we believe that such action would be unhelpful, given our desire to see a building completed to the standard for which DITT Construction Ltd are known, in as quick a time as possible.

Jim Johnston, Chair of Shetland Arts said: “The Board of Shetland Arts supports the efforts of our Director, staff and the Mareel Design Team to hold DITT Construction Ltd to their obligations under the construction contract and the subsequent delivery of Mareel. We are very frustrated by the announcement of further delays; however we will continue to strive towards delivering a venue of which we can all be proud.”

The Wicker Tree is a film adaptation of Robin Hardy’s 2006 novel, Cowboys for Christ, and contains similar elements to his 1973 film The Wicker Man, but it is neither a sequel nor a remake of that film.

The film focuses on Texas pop star turned gospel singer, Beth (Brittania Nicol) and her boyfriend, Steve (Henry Garrett), both devout evangelical Christians sent on a mission to spread the word of God to the people of Scotland.  Beth and Steve decide to begin their preaching at the May Day celebrations in the village. In an attempt to impress the locals, they agree to becoming the local Queen of the May and the Laddie for the festival, not realising the consequences of their decision and what awaits them.

Robin Hardy began his directorial career in Canada and the US, where he was mainly involved in making television drama. In the 1960’s he returned to London and became involved in making commercials and informational films for the company Hardy Shaffer Ferguson Avery, which Hardy formed with writer Anthony Shaffer.

As a result of this partnership, the two men were involved in the creation and production of Hardy’s feature debut, the pagan horror masterpiece The Wicker Man. Although now considered a classic (at the time, its star Christopher Lee regarded it as his finest work), the film suffered after its producers made extensive cuts. Thanks partly to the subsequent disappearance of the original negative, it took nearly thirty years for the full-length version to be released in Britain.

Lisa Ward, Marketing Officer at Shetland Arts, said: “This is a unique opportunity to see a new film by celebrated director and writer Robin Hardy. I expect there will be a lot of interest in the screening.”

The screening is free of charge but Shetland Arts strongly recommends booking tickets to ensure a seat. Tickets can be booked through Shetland Box Office online at http://www.shetlandboxoffice.org or by calling 01595 745 555.

Entries are welcome from amateur, professional and student artists, aged 18 and over, who are linked to Shetland by birth, education or residency.

This year’s theme is Landscape.

In addition to the Shetland Open a Bairns Open will run concurrently in the Lower Gallery.

For information on how to enter work into the Open see:
Open 2012 Call for Entries details (PDF)

Joy is thinking about holding a one day workshop on acting for the screen, which if there was sufficient interest, could be combined with drama directing skills, since the two are inter-dependent. The workshop is aimed at adults.

Actors – actors would learn how to tailor their performance specifically for the screen, although all acting techniques will be covered, including how to be successful at auditions, rehearsal skills, warm-up exercises, understanding on-set techniques, differences between stage and film set techniques, etc.

Directors – this could be a compressed version of a one-week workshop Joy ran at the BBC for 13 or so years, for in-house directors, which included a day on acting for directors, so they could come to understand the actor’s perspective, learn to get the best performances from their cast, and why they may be failing to get a good performance!

Directors would be required to act in order to fully understand the actor’s role and how they can get the best from their cast.

Techniques that will benefit both actors and directors include:

Audition – script interpretation and how to get the most out of any script.

Rehearsal Warm up exercises (what and why)

Character development

Actors’ notes – how and when to give them

On-set notes for quick fixes (since time is money on a film set)

If there are sufficient people, Joy will organise a day that suits as many as possible.

Please tell her if you are interested in the acting or directing part, or both, and what, if any, experience you have of either.

All levels of experience are welcome, and there will be plenty to interest even those with a lot of experience, since the BBC courses were tailored for professional directors, producers and actors, as well as those new to the profession.

For more information or to express an interest contact:  Joy Perino Saloschin: saloschinj@mac.com

The Creative Learning Network is an opportunity for artists, school and community based staff to come together for inspiration on new creative ideas for learning. The event is not open to the general public.

This informal session held in partnership with Shetland Arts is on Monday 13 February at Bonhoga Gallery. We are delighted to announce that Dennis Coutts has agreed to give a talk about his work and accompanying exhibition. Denis has been photographing Shetland’s society for over 60 years and his work is a fascinating catalogue of life throughout the islands. For this exhibition work has been selected from the 1960’s and represents Shetland in the pre-oil era. The exhibition will appeal to anyone with an interest in stories and characters from this period in Shetland’s history. While life was very different then, these stunning black and white photographs reflect a character of life in Shetland which is timeless and remains in many ways unchanged today.

There will be coffee, tea and refreshments at 4pm and the talk will start at 4.30pm. The event will finish at 6pm.

To reserve a place please contact:

email: noelle.henderson@shetland.gov.uk

tel: 01595 744 013

Public opening: 20 January, 5.30-7.30pm, Gallery talk: 21 January, 2.30pm

Shetland Arts is delighted to announce that the work of eminent local photographer Dennis Coutts will be showcased at Bonhoga Gallery for the first exhibition of 2012 on Friday 20th January. Dennis has been photographing Shetland’s society for over 60 years and his work is a fascinating catalogue of life throughout the islands. For this exhibition work has been selected from the 1960s and represents Shetland in the pre-oil era.

 The exhibition will appeal to anyone with an interest in the stories and characters from this period in Shetland’s history. While life was very different then, these stunning black and white photographs reflect a character of life in Shetland which is timeless and remains in many ways unchanged today.

Dennis worked as a commercial photographer from his studio on The Street, combining press photography with family portraiture, social reportage and his own interests in natural history and the landscape. Dennis’ incredible talent for photography – particularly portraiture – is highlighted by the quality of composition, at a time when the art of photography was quite different to that of the digital age today.

All the photographs in the exhibition have been hand-printed by Dennis’ son, John, using traditional darkroom processes and are for sale, mounted and signed by Dennis. This is a rare opportunity to obtain a traditional print from this unique archive.

Everyone is welcome to the opening of the exhibition on 20^th January from 5.30-7.30pm. Dennis will be giving a short talk about his work in the gallery on Saturday 21^st January at 2.30pm, which will provide an opportunity to hear some of the fascinating tales of Dennis’ life, career and the subjects of his work. The talk is free, no booking required.

What’s On @ Bonhoga Gallery 2012

Download Bonhoga 2012 Exhibition programme here (PDF)

Chris Forbes was recently voted one of the Best Upcoming Scottish Comedians in 2011 by The List magazine and regularly plays top UK comedy venues, as well as further afield in Canada where he was a finalist in the internationally acclaimed Great Canadian Laugh Off.  His conversational, laid back and friendly style gives him a likeable on-stage persona, and he’s not afraid of making the most of his wiry frame with some great physical comedy.

The inaptly named Gary Little burst onto the comedy scene in 2003.  At six foot three, Gary is an imposing presence on any stage.  Gary’s humour is honest, refreshing and in-your-face, with a wealth of material derived from a life lived to the full.  Gary has played every type of gig, from prisons to 5-star corporate events, and always gets the audience laughing.

The Garrison Theatre will also play host to Shetland Arts’ popular annual Up Helly Aa day concert, Fiery Sessions, at 2pm on January 31^st. Fiery Sessions will feature local musicians, including Kaela Jamieson & John Hutchison, Maggie Adamson & Brian Nicholson, Vair and Hansel, and a visit from the Junior Jarl Squad.

Lisa Ward, Marketing Officer at Shetland Arts said: “We are delighted to welcome Chris and Gary to Shetland to warm us up with a laugh and a smile after the Up Helly Aa procession. Last year’s Stand Up Helly Aa was a fantastic success and we’re looking forward to an excellent turn out again this year.

We’re also very pleased to be featuring a host of local musicians at Fiery Sessions. The concert is always a big hit and it’s great to see how consistently popular Shetland’s local acts are.”

Tickets for both events are £8, £6 for concessions, and can be purchased from http://www.shetlandboxoffice.org or by phoning 01595 745 555.