Announcing our Spring/Summer 2026 events

Exploring the power of music to lift the spirit, and bring people together and enhance wellbeing, today we share details of our spring and summer projects.

This March, a quartet of Scottish Ensemble musicians tour intimate spaces across Scotland with Between Light and Shadow (St Andrews, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dumfries, Perth) in performances of emotional contrasts, bold imagination, and luminous soundscapes.  Mozart’s radiant Spring Quartet, brimming with optimism and glowing with warmth, is heard alongside two of Caroline Shaw’s Essays that shimmer with sonic texture and emotional nuance. The second part of the programme plunges us into the brooding and introspective music of Beethoven. From stormy drama to moments of sublime beauty, this quartet is Beethoven at his most emotionally raw and visceral. 

Scottish Ensemble’s much-loved Concerts for a Summer’s Night return in June 2026 (Strathpeffer, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow), filling five beautiful light-filled spaces across Scotland with music perfect for long, sun-drenched evenings. From Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence to Prokofiev’s Visions Fugitives, with vibrant works by Bryce Dessner and Oliver Leith along the way, it’s a heady, colourful programme that will leave audiences inspired, and ready to savour every note of summer.  

Further afield Scottish Ensemble performs Impulse: Music in Motion at the University of Oxford’s brand-new Schwarzman Centre, during its opening weekend. Playing from memory, the musicians are unleashed through choreographed movement, devised in collaboration with choreographer Örjan Andersson. Impulse will also tour to Norfolk and Germany later in 2026. 

Music for Wellbeing continues to be a focus of Scottish Ensemble’s work. Workshops combine live music with guided listening and techniques to help people find a moment of calm, combat stress and anxiety, and lift their mood.  Since 2017, Scottish Ensemble has developed its Music for Wellbeing programme in partnership with Maggie’s, a charity that supports people who are living with cancer, including patients, families and medical professionals. Musicians visit Maggie’s centres offering live music experiences designed to nurture connection and mental wellbeing.

Scottish Ensemble and Maggie’s enter a new phase of their collaboration with the announcement that Scottish Ensemble will be Maggie’s Music for Wellbeing Partner. This enhanced commitment will see Scottish Ensemble musicians visit all eight Maggie’s centres in Scotland three times a year, doubling current provision and ensuring that people in the Highlands and Aberdeen can access the same uplifting experiences as those in Edinburgh or Dundee.

Scottish Ensemble’s Chief Executive, James Hardie said:
“At Scottish Ensemble we’re fiercely passionate about the power of music to lift the spirit, bring people together, and enhance wellbeing. Our Music for Wellbeing programme is a vital part of our work serving communities across Scotland, and for many years now Maggie’s has been a hugely valued partner. It feels incredibly exciting to be entering a new phase of our collaboration on the eve of Maggie’s 30th anniversary, and to continue sharing the unique magic that music can bring with even more people across Scotland.” 

Maggie’s Induction and Development Lead, Andrew Anderson said:
“Maggie’s is delighted to be working with the incredible Scottish Ensemble as Music for Wellbeing Partner. Visitors to all of our Scottish centres are able to benefit from this brilliant programme. The musicians along with Maggie’s teams create such a wonderful experience of mindfulness with music. People taking part really value these inspiring sessions.” 

Scottish Ensemble’s Music for Wellbeing programme is made possible with the generous support of funders, including Glasgow City Council Communities Fund, The Northwood Charitable Trust, The Gannochy Trust, The McGlashan Charitable Trust and The Bridge Awards.