THE St Mary's Music School in Edinburgh has begun a new campaign to gather support for its plans to turn the Old Royal High School into its new home.
The campaign will share a leaflet with thousands of residents across Edinburgh and Scotland inviting supporters to send ‘a polite note’ to the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, registering their support.
Ministers are to this week begin considering appeals from hotel developers who wish to use the famous building on Calton Hill for luxury hotels.
Dr Kenneth Taylor, headteacher of St Mary’s Music School, said: "The aim of the Note campaign is to send a simple message using a simple, polite but witty visual reminder, that the future of the Old Royal High School is still undecided and that it’s particularly important that the Scottish Government is aware of the strength of feeling about the future of the Old Royal High.
"We have been greatly heartened by the size and strength of the wonderful support we have already received from so many people in Edinburgh, as well as prominent figures in the arts and music community – Nicola Benedetti, Sir James MacMillan, Alexander Armstrong and Steven Osborne, to name just a few."
The school's plans for the Thomas Hamilton designed building has been backed by the Dunard Fund.
In 2016, the scheme was granted planning consent by the City of Edinburgh.
However, it cannot proceed until the Scottish Government determines two appeals lodged by developers.
www.stmarysmusicschool.co.uk
GLASGOW's UNESCO City of Music has announced the seventh and largest series of its Late Night Studio Jazz promotions at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall this autumn.
Names including singer Carol Kidd, saxophonist Tommy Smith and internationally acclaimed violinist Tim Kliphuis are among those featuring in the series, which begins on Saturday October 27 with Australian vocalist Becc Sanderson’s celebration of David Bowie.
Tommy Smith’s quartet plays its dedication to saxophone icon John Coltrane on November 10.
Young Glasgow group Square One launch their new album, Double Bind, with special guest, American saxophonist Andy Middleton on November 24 and Tim Kliphuis’s trio give the Scottish premiere of their Brandenburg recording on December 1.
Scottish bassist Brodie Jarvie presents his new international band on December and saxophonist Paul Towndrow celebrates his 40th birthday with a special performance of Charlie Parker with Strings on December 15 before Carol Kidd and pianist Brian Kellock sing and swing the Great American Songbook on December 22. All concerts begin at 8:30pm.
www.glasgowconcerthalls.com
THE art collections of King Charles II are to be featured in a major new exhibition at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
The exhibition at the Queen's Gallery is called Charles II: Art & Power, and "will explore how Charles used the arts to create a royal court that could re-take its place on the European stage."
One of the first acts of Charles's reign was the recovery of his father's art collection.
The exhibition will show how he restored his father's collection, collected and grew his own, and was presented with a gift of paintings, sculpture and furniture by the States of Holland and West Friesland, which designed to strengthen the alliance between the two countries and to discourage Charles II from entering into a treaty with his cousin Louis XIV, King of France .
The King's efforts to re-establish the trappings of power extended to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
It had been badly damaged by fire in 1650 when it was occupied by Oliver Cromwell's forces.
Following the Restoration, the Palace once again became a royal residence and the regular meeting place of the Scottish Privy Council, who agreed in 1670 to fund a major renovation project.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse as it exists today is the result of this rebuilding programme.
The north-west tower was added to the front façade, and the room lay-out was modelled on the French court of Charles's cousin, Louis XIV.
In the Great Gallery, the King commissioned a sequence of 110 portraits by the Dutch artist Jacob de Wet depicting real and legendary kings of Scotland.
The exhibition will run from 23 November to 2 June next year.
www.royalcollection.org.uk/shop.
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