Case History: Scotland Museums
Tuesday 15th July 2008
On St Andrew's Day, 30th November 2008, LMN and the National Museums of Scotland will work together to create a special celebration of Scotland's Patron Saint. LMN will be bringing one of the special schools with whom we work into the building to give a performance of a piece composed for the occasion during a two-week residency with Scottish traditional musicians.
This is the latest imaginative project to come out of LMN's long-standing partnership with the National Museums of Scotland (Royal Museum of Scotland and the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh). It is important for such a prestigious institution that activity generated by its Learning and Programmes department is of the highest quality. As in all happy relationships, a high level of trust has been achieved, and the Museums are confident that the musicians engaged through LMN are of a very high calibre.
LMN musicians give regular performances on the last Sunday morning of every month. They are able to tailor their programmes to provide a musical context for the exhibitions: for instance, music from animation features was played at the time of the major international Pixar exhibition; performances of classical guitar music and flamenco served as a musical illustration to the Picasso exhibition, Japanese flautist Tomoko Kinuta reflected a theme of traditional music from cultures around the world.
As well as their artistic and educational value, these performances play a part in the Museums' broader marketing plan. This is particularly important during the current partial closure for a major refurbishment programme, as the Museum can show the world that it is still very much open for business as usual.
With the development of the partnership, LMN and the National Museums of Scotland have been able to embark on additional projects which have a specific artistic impetus. They are now in the fourth year of an series of free lunchtime performances running throughout the three weeks of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In 2008, for the second year running, the showcase will combine the talents of young LMN Scottish traditional musicians who are beginning to make their mark, with more established musicians returning as aLuMNi.
In association with Live Music Now, the National Museums of Scotland commissioned a new piece of music from composer and trumpet player, Bede Williams, to reflect the content of some of the permanent collections. Alba Brass gave the first performance of the piece, entitled Beartach, Domhain (Rich, Deep) and it now forms part of their repertoire in concerts whether or not they are given under the auspices of Live Music Now.
