An Ayrshire music festival is pledging to deliver its most diverse line-up to date.
Concerts, events and workshops are all included in a packed programme for the 2022 edition of the Cumnock Tryst festival.
It will mark the return of audiences to the tight knit East Ayrshire community following an enforced Covid break.
The festival kicks off in style on Thursday, September 29 with national treasures Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham.
One of the world’s greatest singing groups, The King’s Singers, bring their gold standard to the intimate setting of Trinity Church on Friday, September 30.
The group have amassed a huge international following, performing on some of the world’s most iconic stages, including Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House and this concert will be British Sign Language interpreted.
Also performing this year will be jazz vocalist and composer Ruth Naomi Floyd and her quartet, who will be sharing messages of hope, joy and love in a late-night session on September 30.
Continuing the Tryst’s long-term commitment to community engagement, A Musical Celebration of the Coalfields unites local music groups Strings N Things and the Cumnock Area Musical Production Society for a presentation of music they have created themselves with composers Ailie Robertson and Findlay Napier on October 1.
Pupils of Hillside School also get in on the action on September 30, joining a quartet of singers and composers James MacMillan and Matilda Brown, to perform a programme of music they have created in Blue Sky Counterpoint, a collaboration with Drake Music Scotland, Scotland’s leading organisation providing music-making opportunities for children and adults with disabilities.
Also among the packed schedule will be members of The CentreStage Community Gospel Choir and Latvian pianist Arta Arnicane.
The Cumnock Tryst Festival Chorus will sing together for the first time in two years in The Scott Riddex Memorial Concert, bringing Gavin Bryars’ classic work Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet together with performances from CAMPS and the Ayrshire Symphony Orchestra, to celebrate the life of Scott Riddex, a much-beloved member of the Tryst Chorus.
The festival comes to a celebratory close with one of the UK’s finest professional Scottish ceilidh bands, It’s No Reel.
Sir James MacMillan, composer and founder of The Cumnock Tryst, said: “We can’t wait to celebrate fantastic music and musicians from across Scotland, the UK and even further afield at what will be the most pluralist version of The Cumnock Tryst to date.
"From late night jazz sessions, to glorious gospel, and everything else in between, this year’s festival is a celebration of diversity and the ability of music to bring people from different countries and all walks of life together.
"We would encourage people to come and spend the day with us, attend a couple of events, meet the locals and The Tryst team, and enjoy a small, Scottish town’s hospitality at it’s finest.
"Whether it’s a workshop, or a performance by someone you have never heard of, you might discover something new that becomes something special."
For more information visit https://www.thecumnocktryst.com/
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