- Trio of exciting artistic partnerships will visit London as part of The Barbican’s 2026-27 classical season
- Bach & Blood sees the Ensemble partner with NYCOS to perform UK premiere of David Fennessy’s Blood on three-date Scottish tour before London performance this Autumn
- Upcoming project with renowned Celtic musician Brìghde Chaimbeul will tour to London in February 2027
- A 2027 performance with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and vocalist Caroline Shaw places the artist’s voice at the heart of the Ensemble
Scottish Ensemble is set to bring a trio of innovative collaborative performances to London, as part of The Barbican’s newly-announced classical season for 2026-27.
As Company in Residence at the Barbican, Scottish Ensemble will tour three exciting artist-led collaborations to the city over the coming year, placing its trademark collaboration and musical innovation centre-stage.
Bach & Blood
Bach & Blood is an exciting collaboration with the National Youth Choir of Scotland (NYCOS), uniting the Ensemble’s powerful strings and singers from the Chamber Choir conducted by NYCOS Artistic Director Christopher Bell.
Musical voices from across the centuries are united by ritual, reflection, and transcendence. Bach’s towering Chaconne, famously described as “the greatest structure for solo violin that exists”, is performed by Scottish Ensemble Artistic Director Jonathan Morton, with accompanying chorales blurring the line between instrumental and vocal music. While Arvo Pärt’s Greater Antiphons unfolds in shimmering stillness with a sense of timeless devotion.
The performance climaxes with the UK premiere of David Fennessy’s composition Blood. A solo violin weaves and flows through haunting choral textures, originally taken from a vocal melody written by 12th century composer and mystic Hildegard of Bingen. What emerges is a performance of profound and visceral power.
Bach & Blood will open at Lammermuir Festival on 16 September before performances at St John’s Kirk, Perth on 17 September and the Glasgow Cathedral Festival on 18 September. It will then travel to London for a performance at Milton Court Concert Hall on 02 October.
Scottish Ensemble & Brìghde Chaimbeul
Scottish Ensemble will also bring their upcoming cross-genre performance with renowned Celtic musician Brìghde Chaimbeul to London in February 2027.
Fusing resonant strings and the earthy drones of the Scottish smallpipes, the performance sees the folklore and history of Skye come to the fore, aided by atmospheric visuals captured by Brìghde’s long-term collaborator Jonny Ashworth. The project will premiere at this year’s Edinburgh International Festivalbefore a Scottish and UK tour taking in Inverness, Dundee, Bristol, and Manchester in October 2026.
Scottish Ensemble & Caroline Shaw
And next Summer will see Scottish Ensemble join forces with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and vocalist Caroline Shaw.
This rare collaboration will place Shaw’s voice at the heart of the Ensemble, singing her own music including songs inspired by Scottish texts. Shaw’s distinctive sound world is also set alongside works by Bach, John Adams and Philip Glass, with a programme that spans baroque and minimalism, dissolving boundaries between the past and the present. The performance will take place at the Barbican on 15 June 2027.