Lammermuir Festival 2023

Since 2010 Lammermuir Festival has brought together some of the world’s finest classical musicians to multiple stunning locations in East Lothian.?The festival’s strapline of ‘Beautiful Music in Beautiful Places’ is to underline that the whole county is a festival venue, and the locations of the performances are as important as the musical content.

We heard from James Waters, Artistic Director, Lammermuir Festival, on what their focus areas are for this year’s edition. The festival will place across 12 locations in East Lothian, from 7 to 18 September.

High-quality programming

This is the obvious one! If the product isn’t right no amount of successful marketing and PR will shift the seats. We have a clearly established model which is to present Scotland’s finest classical artists in the context with visiting artists of the highest standards. This is combined with using around 15 venues across beautiful East Lothian under our strapline of 'Beautiful Music Beautiful Places'.?? The strength of the programme enabled us to win 2017 Royal Philharmonic Award for festivals – the equivalent of an Oscar in our business!?2023 includes residencies by Scotland’s world-class pianist Steven Osborne. Harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani and Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective who are simply the best chamber group of their kind around.?Sales are strong and we look forward to this year’s festival with confidence.

Attracting new and wider audiences

The future of classical music is in an exciting period of conversation, revision, experimentation and renewal. At Lammermuir Festival we are part of that conversation exploring how we present our world-class artists to the widest possible audience. In this year’s programme we take one of the world’s earliest keyboard instruments – the harpsichord – in the hands of a leading expert and innovator Mahan Esfahani and mix it with electronics to create new ways of presenting and listening to intrepid and innovative music. Experiential events have proven popular and successful with audiences particularly since the pandemic. In Secret Byrd we bring some of the best exponents of early music to our audiences in a way in which they won’t have experienced before, finding themselves part of an extraordinary theatrical concert recreating the secret worship of the Reformation with the constant danger of discovery. Creating unique events inextricably linked to the setting of the festival in East Lothian strengthens the festival’s identity and the draw for audiences from further afield. One of the gems of the programme is its largest venue, St Mary’s in Haddington. Art historian Lizzie Swarbrick takes audiences on a journey interlacing its centuries old history with the rich music of the Marian Consort to create something very special. Programming sits at the heart of attracting new audiences. Combined with the beautiful setting in a region made accessible by its proximity of Edinburgh, the festival offers music and culture fans a wonderful experience. Supported by campaigns across social media channels, through partners and through the media the festival is developing its reach among students, young arts attenders and music fans UK wide.

Community Engagement and Contribution to Wellbeing – Lammermuir Festival and East Lothian

The festival aims to contribute to East Lothian beyond the performances we present in September.

We have presented three substantial community operas involving hundreds of local performers ranging from children to adult bell-ringing groups.? We work on an annual basis with local businesses such as the Maitlandfield Hotel, Falko Konditormeister, The Loft and Designers Collaborate Create.? The impact of Lammermuir Festival can be felt in many ways from its work with community groups to the world-class artists and innovative programming it brings to this rural area of Scotland, to the economic impact created by spend in the region both by the festival and the audiences attending.?The 2022 festival generated ￡780K of economic benefit to the region.

The quality of the programming is renowned throughout the UK with many five-star reviews.?Combined with its accessible but stunning rural setting, it draws audiences from across Scotland, the UK and internationally. Around 60% come from beyond the local area providing a significant boost to the local visitor economy outside the traditional summer tourism periods. It also proves that the best musicians in the world are not exclusively the preserve of international concert halls. Audiences love the intimacy of the performances in small churches, halls and ruins down lanes, through woodlands and fields, creating an unmissable experience they return to year after year.

Future ambitions

Festivals cannot stand still.?They either maintain ambition for exciting development or they wither on the vine.?We aim to continue the development of the Lammermuir Festival as one of the UK’s most significant classical music festivals by inviting artists of the ever higher international standing to East Lothian.?We hope to develop a spoken word strand with lectures and talks. In addition, we are determined to develop firm links with the local community through collaboration with the local council and its educational activities to help secure the future of classical music by encouraging the performers and attenders of the future.

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