The Scottish Poetry Library has launched a national contest encouraging school pupils to memorise and perform poetry.
After a successful pilot, Poetry By Heart Scotland is now a competition for S4-S6 students across the country.
Contestants must memorise and recite two poems from a choice of hundreds. One must be published before 1914, one after 1914. One of the poems must be by a Scottish poet.
The first round takes place within schools and will be completed by October 9. Regional semi-finals take place shortly afterwards, finishing by December 22 with the national final held early in 2016.
scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk
Tickets go on sale this week for Hirda, a new opera for Shetland commissioned and produced by NOISE (New Opera In Scotland Events), supported by Creative Scotland.
It is a collaboration between Shetland fiddler and composer Chris Stout, pictured, classical composer Gareth Williams, and librettist Sian Evans, a Welsh playwright and linguist. The opera will be premièred in the Mareel Arts Centre in Lerwick, Shetland on November 26 before touring to three community halls on the Shetland Islands.
This will be followed by two performances in Edinburgh's Queen's Hall and two in the Drygate (craft brewery), Glasgow.
The opera, which uses Shetland words and dialect (Hirda is a Shetland word meaning chaos or extreme untidiness), tells the story of Alastair, a once successful actor who returns to his island home for the wedding of his brother Iain to Muriel, a young archivist working in the local museum
noiseopera.com
Vibrant psych-folk big band Treacherous Orchestra, Quebecois quartet Le Vent du Nord, piping duo Ross Ainsley and Jarlath Henderson, popular vocal and instrumental group the Poozies, North-East fiddle virtuoso Paul Anderson, and traditional singers Shona Donaldson and Norman Kennedy are among the attractions lined up for Stonehaven Folk Festival on the weekend of July 9-12. Events that lend a distinctive flavour to the festival, including the aqua ceilidh, which is held in the town's open air swimming pool, and the World Paper 'n' Comb Championships, are again in place alongside a family concert, informal singing sessions and a new feature this year, an Americana night.
stonehavenfolkfestival.co.uk
Stirling Folk Club continues to present music every Monday throughout the summer. Guests for July are former JSD Band fiddler Chuck Fleming in a duo with singer-accordionist Benny Graham (6th), Lancashire favourites the Houghton Weavers (13th), and Scottish singing duo Barbara Dymock & Christine Kydd (20th). An informal session completes the programme on Monday 27th. The club meets in Stirling County Rugby Football Club's social club at Bridgehaugh Park at 8pm.
stirlingfolkclub.co.uk
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