Cumnock Tryst launches 10th anniversary season

Ayrshire's Cumnock Tryst festival is set to mark its 10th birthday this year, with an extended programme of concerts, talks, workshops and community projects running from 2 to 6 October.

The festival will see the newly formed Cumnock Tryst Ensemble make its debut alongside local talent and  guests from across the UK and beyond including pianist Steven Osborne, tenor Joshua Ellicott, the Maxwell Quartet, the Gesualdo Six, and the Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra.

Scottish composer Sir James MacMillan, who founded the festival said: ‘It’s a huge pleasure to welcome performers of the highest calibre to East Ayrshire, and I’m particularly thrilled that the newly formed Cumnock Tryst Ensemble will make its debut this year. Scotland has, over the years, produced some excellent chamber groups and it is with immense pride and excitement that I have been able to bring about the creation of a brand new one.’

Pianist Steven Osborne OBE will begin the festival with a programme embracing a diverse range of repertoire from Bach to Judith Weir, alongside his own jazz arrangements. This is followed by a whole day of performances, starting with young composers from  Cumnock’s own Robert Burns Academy who present Music of Land Reclamation, in a culmination of their composition project.

Over the five days, the festival will also see Joshua Ellicott make his Cumnock Tryst debut, Maxwell Quartet perform a programme of Mozart and Mendelssohn, The Gesualdo Six present Motets and Chansons, plus a showcase Cumnock Arts Makes People Smile (formerly known as Cumnock Area Musical Production Society). The Dumfries Arms Hotel hosts performances throughout the festival by performers including guitarist, flautist and singer Seán Gray and Tommy Smith’s Youth Jazz Orchestra.

This year, the festival will feature young students from Hillside School who present The Unbroken Thread. This performance forms part of Sir James’s collaboration with Hillside School, Drake Music Scotland and the Hebrides which aims to encourage young pupils with complex needs to devise their own music.

The Cumnock Tryst Ensemble, directed by cellist Christian Elliott, will make their official debut on the last day of the festival, and participate in many of the community and education projects spearheaded by the Tryst.

The festival’s Tenth Birthday Gala Concert will see another of Sir James’s community engagement efforts; All the Hill and Vales Along, an oratorio he composed for the 2018 festival to mark the centenary of the WW1 Armistice. The performance will include local ensembles and international visitors to celebrate the occasion.

For festival founder Sir James Macmillan, this 10th year is a celebration, but ‘a moment of reflection too, when we take stock and look excitedly into the future – and to the next ten years.’