Commissioning & promoting new Scottish Chamber Music.

Commissioning and public performance of new Scottish Chamber Music

Sir John Blackwood McEwen (1868 - 1948)

Sir John Blackwood McEwen (1868 - 1948) © National Portrait Gallery, London

The Edinburgh Quartet perform Slanting Rain by Alasdair Nicolson the McEwen Commission for 2015

The Edinburgh Quartet perform Alasdair Nicolson's Slanting Rain (2015)

Quartet for strings: 2 violins, viola and cello, in C minor. May 1928. Score, 37 autograph manuscript

Autograph score of McEwen's Quartet for strings in C minor, May 1928

The Ixion Ensemble 2014, Yann Ghiro, Duncan Strachan and Simon Smith

The Ixion ensemble (2014), L to R: Duncan Strachan, Simon Smith and Yann Ghiro

The Tristia II ensemble following the performance with composer Hafliði Hallgrímsson and conductor William Sweeney.

The 2013 ensemble with composer Hafliði Hallgrímsson and conductor Bill Sweeney.

An excerpt from the 2014 commission, Ixion by Stuart MacRae

Renowned composer, teacher and University of Glasgow graduate Sir John Blackwood McEwen bequeathed the residue of his estate to the University to help promote the performance of Scottish chamber music.

Since the bequest, a rich catalogue of new Scottish music by the likes of James MacMillan, Edward McGuire, Peter Nelson, John Lunn and John Purser has been commissioned and premiered at the University.

We are delighted to announce that the 2020 commission was been awarded to David Horne. David's Reflecting Instruments was premiered by the Nanhai Piano Trio in the University Concert Hall on March 5th 2020.