Lammermuir Festival 2025
In venues across East Lothian, in south east Scotland
Thursday 4 – Monday 15 September 2025
The Lammermuir Festival has carved out an enviable reputation for a distinctive and
carefully curated programme of rare gems and fresh takes on popular works which
attracts some of the world’s finest musicians to East Lothian each September.
Its range of historic venues and intimate surroundings heighten the atmosphere,
offering audiences a richly immersive experience whether they be new to classical
music or life-long fans.
Heading up this year’s distinguished line-up as the festival’s artist-in-residence is
a truly outstanding young British talent, cellist Laura van der Heijden, with six
appearances as both soloist and ensemble musician across the 12 days. Among her
appearances are a recital with Jâms Coleman, a chamber programme with the
Maxwell Quartet ranging from Schubert’s haunting C major quintet to Gaelic psalms
of the western isles of Scotland; a programme of dances and duos with friends which
includes the Hungarian cimbalom in its evocative journey through folk, jazz, baroque
and contemporary music; and as soloist alongside Maria Włoszczowska in
Brahms’s Double Concerto for Violin and Cello with Royal Northern Sinfonia.
2025 marks the 150th anniversary of the birthday of Ravel and the centrepiece of the
festival’s tribute to this great composer is found in Scottish Opera’s performance of
his comedic L’heure espagnole paired with Walton’s witty The Bear.
The international dimension is strong with a starry appearance by Rinaldo
Alessandrini and Concerto Italiano performing Monteverdi, and French pianist
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet performing the complete piano works of Ravel. Continuing
the Ravel theme, tenor Joshua Ellicott explores Ravel’s influence on song in a
beautifully crafted programme.
A real highlight is a performance by the Philharmonia Orchestra, one of the world’s
finest, joined by the festival’s patron and phenomenal pianist Steven Osborne to
perform Mozart’s Piano Concert No 27 in B flat major alongside Beethoven’s Eroica
and Mendelssohn’s Hebrides overture.
A residency by I Fagiolini is a cornerstone of the festival with performances of two
masterpieces Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610.
Lammermuir is known for presenting opportunities to hear the complete cycles or
suites of work, and this year the Van Baerle Trio return after last year’s successful
debut to play all of Brahms’s piano trios, and the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam bring
all of Tchaikovsky’s quartets. Other quartets include the Maxwells and the
Carduccis.
Bill Barclay’s Concert Theatre Works – which wowed audiences in 2023 with
Secret Byrd – returns, presenting an epic staged production of Bach’s Markus
Passion with the award-winning Dunedin Consort.
Across the rest of the programme there is a concert focusing on the sounds of
Enlightenment Edinburgh which includes no less than three versions of Auld Lang
Syne; Britain’s classiest chamber ensemble Kaleidoscope brings two adventurous
programmes featuring Brahms, Bartok, Duruflé and Poulenc; Scotland’s Hebrides
Ensemble add to the anniversaries with a centenary celebration of two composers
who have had a huge impact on composers today, Berio and Boulez; ZRI return with
their Cellar Sessions where a heady atmosphere is created as the music reels from
Bach to Taylor Swift.
Solo recitals include Timothy Ridout, the outstanding violist playing at stunning
Crichton Collegiate Church. Award-winning Dutch pianist Hannes Minnaar performs
Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues by candlelight; and Iranian virtuoso Arash
Rokni performs Beethoven’s virtuoso Eroica Variations in a fascinating programme
ranging Scarlatti to Beethoven via Kurtág.
After a successful pilot in 2024, Lammermuir Festival builds on Front Row to offer
even more 12 – 18 year olds opportunities to attend rehearsals, meet artists and
enjoy the best free front row seats. Free tickets are also available for school students
attending certain concerts with an adult.
This year’s festival includes two children’s concerts. Flock – Red Note Ensemble in
Musselburgh opens with a sonically and visually captivating musical performance,
gently encouraging children to become more involved until, through their collective
effort, a chirping flock comes into being.
Another delight for young listeners is Carnival of the Animals with Roger McGough
and NYCOS National Girls Choir in Dunbar. This work by Saint-Saëns has inspired
and delighted many and on this occasion national treasure Roger McGough, who
was inspired to write his own responses to each movement, will read his hilarious
poems alongside: an introduction to this wonderful music for children, and a walk
down memory lane for adults.
The festival returns to Whitekirk’s beautiful mediaeval church after a number of
years. Its superb acoustic makes it the perfect venue for Scottish composer Stuart
MacRae’s atmospheric, folk-influenced song cycle Earth Thy Cold is Keen with
acclaimed Australian mezzo Lotte Betts-Dean, winner of the Royal Philharmonic
Society young artist of the year in 2024.
One of Scotland’s grandest house, Gosford, opens its doors for the festival for the
first time. An imposing neo-classical mansion set in 5,000 acres of combined coast
and parkland, it was one of the last commissions of the celebrated Scots architect
Robert Adam. Filling three rooms within the house with music, audiences have a
chance to explore the stunning interior in a three-part voyage of discovery; from The
Lammermuir Basset Horn Ensemble, to a lecture recital with its incredibly rare
instrument the Claviorganum which combines the harpsichord and organ in one; and
finishing with a recorder recital from Tabea Debus in the Saloon.
Priority ticket booking opens on 3 June, and general booking opens on 6 June.
The festival’s partnership with BBC Radio 3 continues and three concerts will be
captured for broadcast in the autumn.
The Lammermuir Festival is supported by the National Lottery through Creative
Scotland.
Hugh Macdonald and James Waters, Artistic Directors said: “We are very
excited about the 2025 festival. To be able to present a programme which includes
the Philharmonia Orchestra, I Fagiolini and Concerto Italiano in a festival which also
features an utterly brilliant artist in residence in Laura van der Heijden is a real
privilege. The festival contains a veritable galaxy of musical talent and we hope
audiences enjoy listening to it as much as we have planning it!”
Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland said: “The Lammermuir
Festival has so much to offer audiences in East Lothian, whether they’re year-round
residents or visitors to this beautiful part of the country. From orchestral
powerhouses to intimate chamber pieces, this festival has it all. Supported for a
second year through the National Lottery Extended Programme Fund, the
programme blends instrumental virtuosity with the immediacy of the human voice.
It’s encouraging to see the programme engage directly with young listeners,
embedding a love for this music in the artists and audiences of tomorrow.”
LAMMERMUIR 10 RECOMMENDS
IMAGES FOR THESE 10 RECOMMENDS HERE
LAURA VAN DER HEIJDEN
Heading up this year’s distinguished line-up as the festival’s artist-in-residence is a truly outstanding young British talent, cellist Laura van der Heijden, with six appearances as both soloist and ensemble musician across the 12 days. Among her appearances are a recital with Jâms Coleman, chamber music with the Maxwell Quartet ranging from Schubert’s haunting C major quintet to Gaelic psalms of the western isles of Scotland; and a programme of dances and duos with friends which includes the Hungarian cimbalom in its evocative journey through folk, jazz, baroque and contemporary music.
5, 6, 8, 11, 13 & 14 September – various venues. https://www.lammermuirfestival.co.uk
SCOTTISH OPERA
2025 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ravel and the centrepiece of the festival’s tribute to this great composer is found in Scottish Opera’s performance of his comedic L’heure espagnole paired with Walton’s witty The Bear. Two caustic comedies of infidelity unite in this wickedly entertaining double bill. L’heure espagnole (Spanish Time) sees the wife of a clockmaker concoct more and more outrageous plots to hide her many lovers over 21 fast-paced scenes, set to Ravel’s ravishing Spanish-influenced score. The Bear, a witty one-act opera by English composer William Walton based on a Chekhov play, finds a widow confronting her late husband’s legacy — and serial adultery — when a creditor comes knocking. Find out what happens in this irresistible evening of musical mischief.
4 September, 7.30pm – St Mary’s Haddington. https://www.lammermuirfestival.co.uk/event/scottish-opera-double-bill-2025/
I FAGIOLINI
Internationally renowned for its genuinely innovative performances, I Fagiolini’s Lammermuir Festival debut is typical of their high ambition. Over two evenings audiences are treated to the wonderful music of Henry Purcell, crowned by his incomparable opera Dido and Aeneas, one of the true landmarks of European musical history. Their second appearance takes on the epic grandeur of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610. I Fagiolini perform the Vespers as Monteverdi originally envisaged, and with their peerless technical control and dynamic improvisation are sure to produce an impactful and viscerally emotional performance.
6 September, 7.30pm – St Mary’s Haddington.
7 September, 7.30pm – St Mary’s Haddington.
SHOSTAKOVICH BY CANDLELIGHT
In 1950, living in the menacing shadow of Stalinist disapproval, Shostakovich found himself sent to be a judge at the International Bach Competition in Leipzig. Deeply moved by the playing of Tatiana Nikolayeva, the First Prize winner, he was inspired to create his own homage to Bach’s great cycle of 48 Preludes and Fugues. It also allowed him to journey deep into his own creative world, away from the trials and terrors of Soviet artistic life.
In two late-night, candlelit recitals, award-winning Dutch pianist Hannes Minnaar takes us on that journey through one of the 20th century’s most profound masterpieces in the intimate setting of Haddington’s Holy Trinity Church.
9 & 10 September, 10.15pm – Holy Trinity Haddington. https://www.lammermuirfestival.co.uk/event/shostakovich-by-candlelight-i/
PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA AND STEVEN OSBORNE
One of the world’s finest orchestras and the dazzling Scottish pianist Steven Osborne come together in the splendour of St Mary’s Haddington to perform a programme which spans Mendelssohn’s Hebrides overture and Beethoven’s earth shaking Eroica symphony, to Mozart’s beautiful B flat piano concerto, the last he wrote.
10 September, 7.30pm – St Mary’s Haddington.
ZRI
If you are looking for something a bit quirky, hugely creative, entertaining and uplifting then the group ZRI (named after the historic Viennese tavern called Zum Roten Igel meaning The Red Hedgehog) is a great choice. This tavern was frequented by great musicians like Schubert and Brahms who rubbed shoulders with gypsy and folk musicians. They became immersed in each other’s sound worlds and this brilliant band of versatile musicians re-creates the heady atmosphere of the Red Hedgehog in their Cellar Sessions with music spanning Bach and Schubert to Donna Summer and Taylor Swift.
13 September, 10pm – Corn Exchange Haddington.
RECOMPOSED BY MAX RICHTER: VIVALDI – THE FOUR SEASONS
Max Richter’s re-composition of Vivaldi’s famous Four Seasons highlights the resonance between its repeating patterns and modern echoes in the minimalist music of today. But Richter’s highly individual take fuses Vivaldi’s ideas with his own to produce fascinating new colours and a vibrant musical experience led by American violinist Elena Urioste directing the talented players of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland’s top players.
8 September, 6.30pm & 9pm – Corn Exchange Haddington
GOSFORD HOUSE
One of Scotland’s grandest house, Gosford, opens its doors for the festival for the first time. An imposing neo-classical mansion set in 5,000 acres of combined coast and parkland, it was one of the last commissions of the celebrated Scots architect Robert Adam. Filling three rooms within the house with music, audiences have a chance to explore the stunning interior in a three-part voyage of discovery; from The Lammermuir Basset Horn Ensemble, to a lecture recital with its incredibly rare instrument the Claviorganum which combines the harpsichord and organ in one; and finishing with a truly special recorder recital from Tabea Debus in the Saloon.
12 September 2pm & 3.30pm – Gosford House
ROYAL NORTHERN SINFONIA
Royal Northern Sinfonia’s electrifying performances under the baton of Dinis Sousa are making waves. Catch them giving a rare performance of Brahms’s Double Concerto with its glowing, ‘autumnal’ beauty providing a showcase for the two soloists violinist Maria Włoszczowska and cellist Laura van der Heijden. The concert opens with one of Mozart’s finest overtures ‘Don Giovanni’ and ends with Mendelssohn’s ‘Italian’ symphony evoking Mediterranean sunshine, religious solemnity and intoxicating dance.
11 September, 7.30pm – St Mary’s Haddington.
COFFEE CONCERTS
Mornings at the festival start in the most civilised of ways, with brilliant chamber groups performing in an up close and intimate setting, Haddington’s riverside Holy Trinity Church, preceded by tasty cakes from nearby’s Falko’s Bakery. This year audiences can enjoy the Van Baerle Trio and the Maxwell Quartet – both huge audience favourites and welcome the Carducci Quartet and soloists including Arash Rokni and Andrew Hamilton.
Nine concerts across the festival, 11am – Holy Trinity Church, Haddington.