St Cecilia’s Hall is home to The University of Edinburgh’s collection of musical instruments, which ranks among the world’s most important collections of musical heritage. On display are over 500 objects from around the globe which showcase the beauty and development of five centuries of musical instruments. 

In this concert you will hear a variety of piobaireachd, the classical music of the great Highland bagpipe, Scotland’s national instrument. The musicians, Alasdair Henderson, John MacDonald and Brodie Watson-Masse, are all leading exponents of this wonderful music. The tunes will be played in continuous fashion, giving a unique musical experience. Most piobaireachd are composed using pentatonic scales or variations thereof, so although the pipe has a limited number of notes, a wide variety of tonal mood is possible, as you will hear at this concert.

Classical Bagpipe Music – Scotland's Hidden Treasure

Be transported to 17th century Venice, Naples... baroque into the 20th century. Packed delighted audiences in 2024. Exciting new programme with beautiful music by the greats – Monteverdi, Caccini, Ferrari, Lundi, Velasquez, Falvo and more. Weep and laugh – the wonder of love. Elspeth McVeigh, accompanied by superb musicians: Sean Heath, historic harpsichord (courtesy museum) and Andrew Liddell, baroque violin and viola da gamba, bring 'haunting... purity... informed interpretation... storytelling quality – metaphorical journey' **** (BroadwayBaby.com). 'Calm... perfect diction' **** (ThreeWeeks). An hour of delicious sound which brings pure joy.

Meraviglia d'Amore: The Wonder of Love

One day only, following a sold-out London preview show at Sands Film Studio. When Ptolemy tries to usurp the throne, Cleopatra seduces Caesar to win it back. A one-hour reduction with all the best arias from Handel's most performed opera, Giulio Cesare. An Operaland production featuring Geoff Clapham (baritone) as Caesar, Alice Wang (soprano) as Cleopatra, Shana Moron-Caravel as Ptolemy, with Miguel Carranza's inspired costume and stage design. Director Vivi Bayliss focuses on the axes of love, hubris, and power in this semi-staged opera in the round.

From Cleopatra With Vengeance, an Abbreviated Opera

The Edinburgh Renaissance Band with the Edinburgh Early Dancers return for 2025 with a lively performance of their ever-popular Viol Rackett Show, our best-loved programme of music and dance from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. The award-winning troupe of eleven musicians show off a large range of period instruments, including shawms, cornetti, sackbuts, nakers, viols, fiddles, crumhorns, gemshorns, bells, bagpipes and racketts, accompanied by colourful costumed dancers. Fronted by musical director Murray Campbell, whose lively presentation provides a delightful show. Suitable for all ages. Children especially welcome and free, but ticketed.

Edinburgh Renaissance Band: Viol Rackett Show

From fiddlers in fairy hills to golden harps and magic geese, Scotland is filled with fantastical folklore of magical musical adventures. Join storyteller and musician Ailsa Dixon, in the music museum St Cecilia’s Hall, for a fun-filled family friendly romp through myth and legend. From learning a wee bit of Scots and Gaelic folksong, to hearing jigs, reels and legends of magical ceilidhs, this is a wonderful and accessible introduction to Scottish music for wee ones. Tales of pipers, harpers and curious melodies abound in this hour of enchanting story and song.

Magical Melodies: Musical Storytelling

From the Italian Jacobite court to Edinburgh’s St Cecilia’s Hall, in 1771, Charles Edward Stuart’s personal musicians, Domenico and Francesca Corri, travelled with their brother/brother-in-law, John, to start a new musical life in Scotland. Despite their Jacobite links Roman Catholic faith, and many scandals that included bankruptcy and legal battles, they emerged as one of the most important and powerful musical families in Scotland. Indeed, their story reveals much about Edinburgh’s musical history. Join Dr Brianna Robertson-Kirkland as she explores the story of the first generation of the Corris through images, storytelling and song.

Jacobites, Italians and Music in Edinburgh

Back by popular demand, the self-taught and self-proclaimed David Munrow of punk brings his Early Music Show to the beautiful surroundings of St Cecilia's Hall for the fourth time. He explains how his fascination with early music came about, inspired by his first encounter with the humble recorder aged six. He'll demonstrate the crumhorn, cornamuse, rauschpfeife, sausage bassoon and loads of different recorders, and play songs from his 2018 album Restoration Tragedy about the Levellers, Diggers and Ranters and their challenge to Cromwell during the Commonwealth after the execution of Charles I in 1649.

Attila the Stockbroker's Early Music Show

The critically acclaimed team of McDonald and Kitchen perform virtuoso works for recorder with continuo and obbligato harpsichord by Bach, Vivaldi, Telemann and Corelli, which also exist in alternative versions. Ever commercially astute, Telemann often specified idiomatic alternative instrumentation for his works. Arranging Italian violin sonatas for recorder was almost a cottage industry, and Bach's recycling of his own music resulted in masterworks such as a solo violin movement becoming a full-scale cantata. Featuring the 1709 Barton harpsichord. 'Pure delight' (Scotsman). In support of the FoSCH bursary fund.

Sounds of St Cecilia's V: The Art of the Arranger

At the Heart of the Hundred Years' War. An exploration of the music heard during the period of the Hundred Year War – spanning from Burgundy, the Flemish region and England. Programme includes music by Guillaume de Machaut, Gilles Binchois, Guillaume Dufay and more.



Sounds of St Cecilia's IV: L'Homme Armé 

Marin Marais, Silvius Leopold Weiss and J.S. Bach, recognised for the extraordinary beauty of their works, were first admired as virtuosos of their respective instruments: viol, lute, and keyboard. As composers and as improvisers, they took inspiration in each other's harmonic language and flourishing and particular ornamentation. These three composers are brought together again, with clair-obscur pieces of indescribable darkness and melancholy, in contrast with moments of brightness and serenity. Alongside Bach's keyboard suites, Khou has adapted for harpsichord some particularly touching pieces by Marais and Weis. Supported by the Keyboard Charitable Trust.

Sounds of St Cecilia's I: Clair-Obscur

This concert will pay homage to jazz clarinettists of the 1920/30s including Benny Goodman and Barney Bigard. Featuring an exciting young trio of Glasgow’s finest jazz musicians: Tom Gibbs (clarinet), Alex Handyside (guitar) and Timmy Allan (bass). The performance will include period instruments from University of Edinburgh’s world-famous Musical Instrument Collection, notably a clarinet from the Shackleton Collection. Supported by The University of Edinburgh and the Shackleton Fund.

Sounds of St Cecilia's III: The Early Jazz Clarinet

George Weir, a young violinist at present studying at the RCS in Glasgow, performs music for violin and harpsichord by Bach (Sonata in G BWV 1021), Handel (Sonata in D major) and Corelli (Sonata op. 6 no. 5), as well as an unaccompanied violin piece by the little-known Austrian composer Johann Vilsmayr. John Kitchen accompanies on the 1755 Kirkman harpischord.

Sounds of St Cecilia's II: Delights for Violin and Harpsichord

Join us on these guided tours of the musical treasures on display at St Cecilia’s Hall, Scotland’s oldest concert hall and home to the University of Edinburgh’s Musical Instrument Collection. Hear the sounds of the past, discover the weird and wonderful world of musical instruments and journey through the past 500 years of music history. Tours will be led by the curators and volunteers of St Cecilia's Hall. The themes will change daily, so feel free to register for more than one! Children are most welcome. 

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