The Federation of Entertainment Unions, which includes the Musicians' Union, Equity, National Union of Journalists, BECTU and the Writers' Guild, is holding a pre-General Election hustings meeting with a focus on culture, art and broadcasting on Wednesday April 15.

The meeting will be in the Nevis Suite at Hampden Park in Glasgow from 7pm to 8.30pm and all of Scotland's major parties have been invited to be represented. The session will be chaired by BECTU General Secretary Gerry Morrissey and is open to all to attend and ask questions of the candidates.

bectu.org.uk

The box office opens at 10am this morning for this year's Perth Festival of the Arts with The Proclaimers (pictured) recently announced as one its headline attractions. Craig and Charlie Reid launch their 10th studio album, Let's Hear It For The Dogs, at Perth Concert Hall on Saturday May 23, before embarking on the summer festival circuit. The previous night King Creosote plays the same venue with an eight piece band and a set that covers his entire catalogue as well as songs from the From Scotland With Love film project with Virginia Heath. Priority booking Friends of the festival have already made a return visit by Jool Holland, with Marc Almond and Ruby Turner among the singers with his big band, the hottest ticket, and saxophonist Courtney Pine is another returnee, this time in a duo setting with pianist Zoe Rahman. The Ronnie Scott All-Stars, with singer Claire Martin, tell the story of the droll tenor man and club owner on SAturday May 30.

English Touring Opera bring their production of Puccini's La boheme to the hall on Thursday May 21, with a 25-piece orchestra and a chorus of local children from Oakbank School, and the BBC Philharmonic under Andrew Gourley has trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth as soloist for the Hummel concerto in a programme that culminates in Beethoven's Symphony No.7. The festival's closing concert is a departure from the usual classical fare and instead brings the Royal Albert Hall concert of The Massed Bands of Her Majesty's Royal Marines from Scotland and Portsmouth together on the Perth hall stage, with this weekend's RSNO presenter John Suchet as compere.

perthfestival.co.uk

With tickets for the bijou Tiree Music Festival (18-20 July) selling out in just five hours, those who are unable to attend the award-winning island event can take some comfort from the fact that the cameras of BBC Alba will be there, and highlights from the festival will be broadcast in the following weeks.

This year's event has The Fratellis as headliners, with Skerryvore, Manran, and Skipinnish on the bill, Funbox providing some children's entertainment, and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall doing the cooking.

tireemusicfestival.co.uk