Venue 91

 Welcome to the Edinburgh Festival at the Cathedral

With its three spires dominating Edinburgh’s western skyline, St Mary’s is the masterpiece of the Victorian architect of the Gothic Revival, Sir George Gilbert Scott. Scotland’s largest ecclesiastical building is open from 7.30 am for you to experience an atmosphere of peace in the bustling city. Enjoy fine musicians in concert and experience inspiring traditional Anglican Cathedral choral services. Please look at our website, www.cathedral.net, for more information. A warm welcome awaits you at St Mary's Cathedral.

Tickets (where applicable) are available at the door, or from the Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000 and www.edfringe.com.

 Sunday Choral Services at the Cathedral

9 August

10.30 am  Cathedral Eucharist                 

                Preacher: Rt Revd Martin Shaw

                Setting: Mozart Missa Brevis in C

                 Motet: Mozart Laudate Dominum

3.30 pm    Choral Evensong

                 Canticles: Jackson in G

                 Anthem: Vaughan Williams Five Mystical Songs

16 August

10.30 am   Cathedral Eucharist

                 Setting: Langlais Messe Solennelle

                 Motet: Bairstow Let all mortal flesh

3.30 pm    Choral Evensong

                 Canticles: Buxtehude Magnificat

                 Anthem: Handel The King shall rejoice

23 August

10.30 am   Cathedral Eucharist

                 Setting: Gretchaninov Missa Festiva

                 Motet: Bruckner Ecce Sacerdos

3.30 pm    Choral Evensong & Chorister Valedictory

30 August

                 10.30 am   Cathedral Eucharist

                 Preacher: The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

 Cathedral Weekday Services

 Choral Evensong sung by the Cathedral Choir, Monday to Friday (Thursday Eucharist), 10-18,20 & 21 August, 5.30-6.10 pm

19 August 4.00pm (doors close 3.45pm) Choral Evensong broadcast live by BBC Radio 3. Music includes William Byrd’s Great Service.

Cathedral Late-Night Concerts

Cathedral Voices by Candlelight

11-12 Aug 10:00pm (40mins) £7.00(£5.00)

Beautiful song in the wonderfully atmospheric St Mary's Cathedral.

11 August Beth Mackay sings Brahms

12 August The Marian Consort

 Cathedral Mendelssohn by Candlelight

13, 20 Aug 10:00pm (40mins) £7.00(£5.00)

Some of the nineteenth century's greatest organ music on St Mary's Cathedral's magnificent 1879 'Father' Willis organ, marking the two hundredth anniversary of Mendelssohn's birth.

13 August Nicholas Wearne

20 August Jonathan Rennert

Alexander McCall Smith’s Scotland at night

15 August 10.00pm (1hr 30 mins) £14 (10)

Classic FM award-winning ensemble Laudibus sing settings of Scottish poetry

 Cathedral Late Night: Wilde plays Schumann

25 August 10.00pm (40mins) £7.00(£5.00)

International concert and recording artist David Wilde returns to St Mary's to perform Schumann Carnaval and other popular works on the Cathedral's fine Steinway piano.

 Song School Tours

Phoebe Anna Traquair Song School Murals

1 to 31 August (exc Sun): 11.00 & 12.00 (45 mins) Free

Painted 1888-1892 Traquair’s acclaimed murals, restored in 1998, illustrate the canticle ‘Benedicite omnia opera’. Tours meet at Palmerston Place entrance of the Cathedral.

Cathedral Lunchtime Concerts

1.10 pm (40mins) Admission free. Retiring collection.

 Saturday 1          Catherine Backhouse soprano

                        Sam Hutchings piano

Monday 3         Charles Wooler organ

Tuesday 4          Ross Buddie tenor

                        Colin Mackay piano

Wednesday 5     Jamie Munn tenor

Thursday 6        Lucia Simon soprano

                        Elspeth Wyllie piano

Friday 7            Maggie Bartmanis soprano

                        Stuart Smith piano

Saturday 8         Members of Philomusica of Edinburgh

Monday 10        Simon Walker organ

Tuesday 11         Jane Rimer ‘cello Elspeth Wylie piano

Wednesday 12    Maciej Raginia piano

Thursday 13       The Mangeville Duo

Friday 14           Neil Pennock clarinet

                        Rachel Attwell piano

Saturday 15        Ben Kearsley classical guitar

Monday 17        Danae Eleni soprano

                        Guy Newbury piano

Tuesday 18         Catherine Leonard piano

Wednesday 19    No recital (BBC Broadcast)

Thursday 20      The Murray Ensemble

Friday 21          Kentigern Piano Quartet

Saturday 22       Natalie Montakhab soprano

                        Chris Baxter piano  

Monday 24       Dartington Piano Duo

Tuesday 25        Cooperative Brass Ensemble

Wednesday 26  Hoot harp flute

Thursday 27      The City of Edinburgh Music School

Friday 28           Oksana Mavrodii soprano

                        Anna Mavromatidi piano

Saturday 29      Barbara Misiewicz cello

                        John Bryden piano

Monday 31        Lindsay Sinclair & John Bryden

                        piano duets

Cathedral Concerts

 Cathedral Steinway Celebrity Recital

15 Aug 7pm (1hr 30mins) £15.00(£10.00) (£5.00 C)

Acclaimed young concert pianist Sona Shaboyan plays the Cathedral’s magnificent Steinway grand in a concert of Chopin and Rachmaninoff

 Cathedral Bach Motets—The Marian Consort

21 Aug 8pm (1hr 30mins) £15.00(£10.00)

The exciting young vocal ensemble returns after its successful 2008 Festival. Guest conductor Jeremy Summerly and John Kitchen (continuo) present a concert of baroque music including J.S. Bach's motets and Charpentier’s Messe des Morts.

Cathedral Choir Coronation Anthems

22 Aug 7:30pm (1hr 30mins) £15.00(£10.00)

A feast of music for royal occasions by Handel and Purcell in their anniversary year performed by the internationally-renowned Choir of St Mary's Cathedral. Includes Purcell My Heart is Inditing and Handel Zadok the Priest.

Exhibitions

 Exhibitions open 1-31 August 9am-1pm, 2-5pm Monday to Saturday, 12noon-3pm Sunday (Free)

 Joy of Creation

An exhibition of Quilts - a Feast of beauty and colour. Quilters from Edinburgh showcase their skills and creativity in a collection of both traditional and modern quilts.

 Hope-into-Homes: Interfaith in action

Showing that people of different faiths (or no faith) can work together to make a difference by building houses alongside people in need in various countries.

 Cathedral Tours

 Informal guided tours around this fascinating building.

Tuesday 9.30 am & Thursday 2.15 pm (45mins)

Meet inside the West door. Free

 Cathedral Celebrity Organ Recitals

  Join us after Sunday evensong for free recitals on the magnificent 1879 ‘Father’ Willis organ. 4.30pm (1 hr)

2 August            Nicholas Wearne, Assistant Organist,

                        St Mary’s Cathedral

9 August            Huw Williams, formerly Organist,

                        St Paul's Cathedral, London

16 August           Duncan Ferguson, Organist & Master of the Music, St Mary's Cathedral

 Other Concerts

 Scottish Chamber Choir

16 Aug 8pm (1hr 45mins) £10.00

Enjoy a performance of Vivaldi's famous 'Gloria' with Haydn's 'Missa SanctiNicolai' and Purcell's 'O Sing unto the Lord'. A festival concert to mark our 40th anniversary year.

 Philomusica of Edinburgh A Scots Quair

28 Aug  7.30pm (2hrs) £9.00 ( £6.00) Children £3.00

By David Scott & Wendy Weatherby inspired by the work of Lewis Grassic Gibbon

‘Light a candle for Peace in Our World’

Whilst we celebrate festival, too many people in our world know no festivals and yearn for peace. At 1pm every day in the Cathedral, we all pause in silence for one minute starting with our candle for peace being lit and ending with a simple prayer.