Lammermuir Festival announces 2025 Programme

The Lammermuir Festival, taking place in the beautiful, historic county of East Lothian in September, has announced it's 2025 programme.

Article Source: Lammermuir Festival
Last Updated: 3 June 2025 11:47

In venues across East Lothian, in south east Scotland
Thursday 4 – Monday 15 September 2025

The Lammermuir Festival has carved out an enviable reputation for a distinctive and carefully curated programme of rare gems and fresh takes on popular works which attracts some of the world’s finest musicians to East Lothian each September.

Its range of historic venues and intimate surroundings heighten the atmosphere, offering audiences a richly immersive experience whether they be new to classical music or life-long fans.

Heading up this year’s distinguished line-up as the festival’s artist-in-residence is a truly outstanding young British talent, cellist Laura van der Heijden, with six appearances as both soloist and ensemble musician across the 12 days. Among her appearances are a recital with Jâms Coleman, a chamber programme with the Maxwell Quartet ranging from Schubert’s haunting C major quintet to Gaelic psalms of the western isles of Scotland; a programme of dances and duos with friends which includes the Hungarian cimbalom in its evocative journey through folk, jazz, baroque and contemporary music; and as soloist alongside Maria Włoszczowska in Brahms’s Double Concerto for Violin and Cello with Royal Northern Sinfonia.

2025 marks the 150th anniversary of the birthday of Ravel and the centrepiece of the festival’s tribute to this great composer is found in Scottish Opera’s performance of his comedic L’heure espagnole paired with Walton’s witty The Bear.

The international dimension is strong with a starry appearance by Rinaldo Alessandrini and Concerto Italiano performing Monteverdi, and French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet performing the complete piano works of Ravel. Continuing the Ravel theme, tenor Joshua Ellicott explores Ravel’s influence on song in a beautifully crafted programme.

A real highlight is a performance by the Philharmonia Orchestra, one of the world’s finest, joined by the festival’s patron and phenomenal pianist Steven Osborne to perform Mozart’s Piano Concert No 27 in B flat major alongside Beethoven’s Eroica and Mendelssohn’s Hebrides overture.

A residency by I Fagiolini is a cornerstone of the festival with performances of two masterpieces Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610.

Lammermuir is known for presenting opportunities to hear the complete cycles or suites of work, and this year the Van Baerle Trio return after last year’s successful debut to play all of Brahms’s piano trios, and the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam bring all of Tchaikovsky’s quartets. Other quartets include the Maxwells and the Carduccis.

Bill Barclay’s Concert Theatre Works - which wowed audiences in 2023 with Secret Byrd - returns, presenting an epic staged production of Bach’s Markus Passion with the award-winning Dunedin Consort.

Across the rest of the programme there is a concert focusing on the sounds of Enlightenment Edinburgh which includes no less than three versions of Auld Lang Syne; Britain’s classiest chamber ensemble Kaleidoscope brings two adventurous programmes featuring Brahms, Bartok, Duruflé and Poulenc; Scotland’s Hebrides Ensemble add to the anniversaries with a centenary celebration of two composers who have had a huge impact on composers today, Berio and Boulez; ZRI return with their Cellar Sessions where a heady atmosphere is created as the music reels from Bach to Taylor Swift.

Solo recitals include Timothy Ridout, the outstanding violist playing at stunning Crichton Collegiate Church. Award-winning Dutch pianist Hannes Minnaar performs Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues by candlelight; and Iranian virtuoso Arash Rokni performs Beethoven’s virtuoso Eroica Variations in a fascinating programme ranging Scarlatti to Beethoven via Kurtág.

After a successful pilot in 2024, Lammermuir Festival builds on Front Row to offer even more 12 – 18 year olds opportunities to attend rehearsals, meet artists and enjoy the best free front row seats. Free tickets are also available for school students attending certain concerts with an adult.

This year’s festival includes two children’s concerts. Flock – Red Note Ensemble in Musselburgh opens with a sonically and visually captivating musical performance, gently encouraging children to become more involved until, through their collective effort, a chirping flock comes into being.

Another delight for young listeners is Carnival of the Animals with Roger McGough and NYCOS National Girls Choir in Dunbar. This work by Saint-Saëns has inspired and delighted many and on this occasion national treasure Roger McGough, who was inspired to write his own responses to each movement, will read his hilarious poems alongside: an introduction to this wonderful music for children, and a walk down memory lane for adults.

The festival returns to Whitekirk’s beautiful mediaeval church after a number of years. Its superb acoustic makes it the perfect venue for Scottish composer Stuart MacRae’s atmospheric, folk-influenced song cycle Earth Thy Cold is Keen with acclaimed Australian mezzo Lotte Betts-Dean, winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society young artist of the year in 2024.

One of Scotland’s grandest house, Gosford, opens its doors for the festival for the first time. An imposing neo-classical mansion set in 5,000 acres of combined coast and parkland, it was one of the last commissions of the celebrated Scots architect Robert Adam. Filling three rooms within the house with music, audiences have a chance to explore the stunning interior in a three-part voyage of discovery; from The Lammermuir Basset Horn Ensemble, to a lecture recital with its incredibly rare instrument the Claviorganum which combines the harpsichord and organ in one; and finishing with a recorder recital from Tabea Debus in the Saloon.

Priority ticket booking opens on 3 June, and general booking opens on 6 June.

The festival’s partnership with BBC Radio 3 continues and three concerts will be captured for broadcast in the autumn.

The Lammermuir Festival is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

Hugh Macdonald and James Waters, Artistic Directors said: “We are very excited about the 2025 festival. To be able to present a programme which includes the Philharmonia Orchestra, I Fagiolini and Concerto Italiano in a festival which also features an utterly brilliant artist in residence in Laura van der Heijden is a real privilege. The festival contains a veritable galaxy of musical talent and we hope audiences enjoy listening to it as much as we have planning it!”

Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland said: “The Lammermuir Festival has so much to offer audiences in East Lothian, whether they’re year-round residents or visitors to this beautiful part of the country. From orchestral powerhouses to intimate chamber pieces, this festival has it all. Supported for a second year through the National Lottery Extended Programme Fund, the programme blends instrumental virtuosity with the immediacy of the human voice. It’s encouraging to see the programme engage directly with young listeners, embedding a love for this music in the artists and audiences of tomorrow.”

Image: Concert 33

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