The Edinburgh Reporter October 2023

18 WHAT’S ON

CULTURE • LITERATURE • ART • EVENTS • MUSIC • MUSEUMS...

Casting a spell with Dobbies

Landscapes and

nature close-up

By STAFF REPORTER

A NEW SERIES OF intimate jazz gigs at St
Peter’s in Linlithgow begins on Saturday 14th
October when the New Focus Duo – pianist
Euan Stevenson and saxophonist Konrad
Wiszniewski – bring their Classical Connection
presentation to the High Street church.
Robin Connelly of Red Door Promotions,
who have been staging music events at St Peter’s
since 2019, is excited to be promoting
Stevenson and Wiszniewski as the first of three
concerts before Christmas.
“Euan and Konrad have great pedigrees,
both individually and collectively,” he says.
“Euan’s work in jazz includes his roles as
co-writer and musical director with the
award-winning singer Georgia Cecile and in
classical music he has written arrangements
for the internationally renowned violin

virtuoso Pinchas Zuckerman and the English

Chamber Orchestra.”

Wiszniewski, who is a star soloist with

Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, has recently

enjoyed success with the band Mama Terra,

who have signed to legendary label Acid Jazz

Records. In the Classical Connection he and

Stevenson highlight common traits shared by

classical composers including Mozart, Debussy

and Satie and jazz musicians Miles Davis, Bill

Evans and Erroll Garner.

“It’s a brilliant show,” says Connelly. “As with

their New Focus albums, musically it’s superb.

It’s also very informative and really

entertaining. We’ve been wanting to present it

in St Peter’s since before the pandemic and

we’re really pleased to finally have Euan and

Konrad coming to Linlithgow on 14th October.

Following Stevenson and Wiszniewski, Red

Door present guitarists Don Paterson &

Graeme Stephen on Friday 10th November and

Irish singer Christine Tobin with her partner,

guitarist Phil Robson on Friday 1st December.

“Don Paterson is probably best known as a

poet and writer these days,” says Connelly. “He

published a memoir, Toy Fights, earlier this year

which was very warmly received. But he’s also a

really talented guitarist and he and Graeme

have a wonderful musical understanding.”

To then be finishing the series with Christine

Tobin, says Connelly, “is more than we could

have hoped for. Christine’s magnificent voice is

truly individual and her partnership with Phil,

one of the UK’s finest guitarists, produces

something absolutely magical. All three

concerts give an opportunity to hear top quality

music in a beautifully intimate venue.”

Tickets for all Red Door concerts are available

at http://www.eventbrite.co.uk

...and

all that

Jazz

New Focus Duo,

Euan and Konrad

set to perform

at St Peter’s

THERE IS A holiday club at

Dobbies’ Edinburgh this month

with the Little Seedlings Holiday

Club interactive workshop.

Children aged 4 -10 will be shown

how to look at mystical plants and

get to know all about their

extraordinary powers.

Young gardening witches and

wizards-in-training will be guided

on a journey through time.

They will uncover ways in

which ancient cultures used

plants for their mystical

properties. For example, the

ancient Greeks and Romans

believed that rosemary could

enhance memory retention, and

the ancient Egyptians thought

Verbena could ward off evil spells.

Dobbies’ Community and CSR

Communications Executive, Chloë

Bell, said: “We are very excited to

welcome children to this

workshop in our Edinburgh store

during the October break.

“Our Little Seedlings Holiday

Club gives attendees a chance to

make friends and learn

something new, and we hope to

nurture the next generation of

gardening enthusiasts in a playful

and informative setting.

“We believe that learning

should be fun, and that's why

we've incorporated engaging

games and activities that will

ignite children's imagination.

“From potion-brewing

to crafting magical plant

charms, this workshop will

encourage creativity and a

hands-on connection with

the natural world.”

events.dobbies.com

NEAR AND FAR: PAINTINGS BY SARAH

ANDERSON & NICOLA COUTTS

4-5 November 2023, 11:00-16:

Coburg House Art Gallery

15 Coburg Street, EH6 6ET

Admission Free

SARAH ANDERSON’S inspiration is

the magnificent Scottish landscape,

particularly the west coast. Now based

in Edinburgh, the recurring themes in

her work reflect the dramatic effects

of weather on the mountains and

shorelines, trees and her favourite

place - Edinburgh.

She seeks to capture the changing

light and atmospheric effects which

provide her with endless ideas. Sarah’s

palette is highly-coloured, with a wide

tonal range, principally in oils. Sarah says:

“The physical act of painting is important

to me, with the paint surface being a

prominent element as I strive for

simplicity of form and overall unity.”

Recent exhibitions include Gleneagles

Townhouse, Torrance Gallery and Velvet

Easel Gallery, Edinburgh and Whitehouse

Gallery, Kirkcudbright.

INSPIRATION

Nicola Coutts lives in Midlothian and

regularly visits botanical gardens as a

source of artistic inspiration. In 2023,

Nicola completed a course in Printmaking

at Leith School of Art. During her studies,

Nicola developed an interest in

monotype and mono-screenprinting,

especially when trying to depict a

summer haze.

Her latest paintings are freer compared

to earlier works, and she uses mixed

media, collage, stencils and printmaking

with intense colours. Nicola has recently

been cultivating wildflowers in her

garden so that it becomes a stronger

source of creativity.

Recent exhibitions of her work

have been held at Whitespace

Gallery, Edinburgh, National Galleries

of Scotland, and Torrance

Gallery, Edinburgh.

Learn more at: nicolacoutts.co.uk

Email: @nicolacouttspainting

@sarahandersonartist

Ephemeral Light, Glencoe

by Sarah Anderson