Development Opportunities for Scottish composers / composers based in Scotland
2026-06-07 08:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London) | Isle of Skye
sound is a new music incubator based in North East Scotland, which aims to increase access to new music, encourage excellence and experimentation, and nurture talent. It achieves this through a variety of activities including the annual soundfestival, a year-round composer support programme, a youth programme, and other learning and engagement activities.
The opportunities involve writing new works for the following ensembles, leading to performances or sharings at the 2026 soundfestival. Please note that there is a progression through the opportunities, with each one catering to composers at different points in their careers. We thus expect the majority of composers to apply to one of these opportunities rather than multiple opportunities.
1. A duo of musicians from Red Note Ensemble (alto flute and percussion) in the run up to the soundfestival. This is aimed at very early career composers.
2. North East Scotland’s new music ensemble, Any Enemy, conducted and mentored by Pete Stollery in the run up to the soundfestival. This is aimed at early career composers slightly further along their career path.
3. A 3-day Composers’ Lab with Quatuor Bozzini during the soundfestival. This is aimed at more experienced emerging composers.
These opportunities are part of sound’s soundcreators programme focusing on nurturing creative talent. soundcreators is currently funded by Creative Scotland, Aberdeen City Council, the Hinrichsen Foundation, the William Syson Foundation and through the PRS Foundation’s Development Network fund supported by PPL. These particular opportunities are in addition funded by The Garrick Charitable Trust.
Click HERE for more information and to apply.

Almanac: Part 1 (Emergence)
2026-06-13 12:50 - 17:00 | Boat of Garten Community Hall, Boat of Garten Community Hall, Boat of Garten, PH24 3BL, United Kingdom
Almanac: Part 1 (Emergence)

Boat of Garten Community Hall, Saturday 13 June 2026
Almanac is a new large-scale project by composer Thomas Butler, commissioned by Red Note Ensemble, using contemporary musical performance to mark events in the natural world.
Across four seasonal, immersive works presented in locations throughout Scotland over 12 months, the project brings together ensemble, voice, electronics and field recording to explore ecological cycles, seasonal change, and the disruption of natural rhythms in a time of climate crisis.
Almanac: Part 1 (Emergence)
The first chapter of Almanac focuses on the emergence of dragonflies and damselflies as they transition from water to air. This new performance combines live music with flute, clarinet, viola and percussion, and field recordings to trace this moment of transformation, shaped by ecological research and the surrounding landscape.
Each ticket includes
• A guided site visit to a nearby bog with an RSPB guide to observe dragonflies and damselflies (transport provided by bus)
• A live performance of Emergence
• A Q&A with composer Thomas Butler

Important information
• Please note the site visit involves uneven terrain and is unfortunately not suitable for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility*
• Please arrive at least 10 minutes in advance as transport to the site will leave sharp
• Sturdy footwear and weather appropriate clothing is recommended
• Each performance is limited to 20 audience members
• Please be advised that in the event of severe weather, the site visit may be cancelled and we will offer an indoor alternative
*If you are unable to attend the site visit but wish to experience the performance and Q&A, or if you have any access questions, please contact us: admin@rednoteensemble.com
Performance schedule
Please select one of the following timed sessions when booking:
Concert 1
Site visit (including transport): 12:50–13:45
Performance + Q&A: 14:00–14:45
Concert 2
Site visit (including transport): 14:00–14:55
Performance + Q&A: 15:10–15:55
Concert 3
Site visit (including transport): 15:10–16:05
Performance + Q&A: 16:15–17:00
Tickets
£15 (£10 Concession for those under 26 years of age)
Advance booking required
The Almanac cycle is kindly supported by the Vaughan Williams Foundation.
For more information and tickets click HERE.

Call For Tuba Players
2026-08-02 | Isle of Skye
REGISTER HERE
We’re inviting tubists, along with players of sousaphone, euphonium, baritone, Wagner tuba and tenor horn, to join us for this extraordinary large-scale performance.
Written by pioneering American composer Anthony Braxton, Composition No. 19 (For 100 Tubas) is a bold and immersive work that transforms the tuba into a vast collective instrument. With layers of sustained sound, shifting textures and powerful spatial effects, the piece creates an experience that is as much about atmosphere and resonance as it is about performance.
Written in the 1970s, the score was lost for many years before eventually being rediscovered and receiving its first performance in New York in 2006. This September, Red Note Ensemble brings this remarkable work to Lammermuir Festival in a special outdoor performance at Amisfield Walled Garden.

Braxton’s score is written for four marching tuba bands of 25 players, each with its own conductor, moving through the space as the performance unfolds. Surrounded by the garden walls and the open evening sky, audiences and performers will experience a constantly shifting landscape of sound as tubas of every shape and size — from euphoniums to sousaphones — create rich, resonant textures across the site.
The work is very rarely presented, making this a special opportunity to take part in one of Braxton’s most ambitious ensemble pieces alongside brass players from across Scotland and beyond.
It’s a joyful, collaborative piece: immersive, surprising and unlike anything else.
Most importantly, it’s open to players of all experience levels. The music is approachable, and Red Note will provide all the materials you need in advance.
If you play tuba — or euphonium, baritone, tenor horn, Wagner tuba or sousaphone — we’d love you to join us for this unique performance. Come and be part of an unforgettable evening of music as twilight falls over one of East Lothian’s most beautiful spaces.
The performance will take place in the beautiful Amisfield Walled Garden, around 30 minutes from Edinburgh, on Saturday 19 September 2026, as part of Lammermuir Festival.

Please note that this is a voluntary and unpaid opportunity, and unfortunately we cannot provide travel support to participants, so we encourage local players to apply.

We are looking for people who are:

Tuba, Sousaphone, Euphonium, Baritone, Wagner tuba or Tenor horn players
At any level of experience (amateur, student or professional)
Aged 16 or over
Available on Saturday 19 September 2026 from 13:00 until 19:30 for the rehearsal and performance.

We’d love to have you with us.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 2ND AUGUST
REGISTER HERE

100 Tubas at Amisfield
2026-09-19 18:00 - 19:30 | Amisfield Garden, Haddington, EH41 3TE
Gathering 100 tuba players together for a performance of Anthony Braxton’s legendary Composition No 19 interspersed with heraldic brass fanfares this unique performance – part concert, part ritual – will make the walls of the garden reverberate with deep, evocative sounds as the sun dips below the horizon.
Audiences will be transported by coach from Haddington town centre.
This concert is dedicated to the memory of John Wallace.
