Classical Next
Since 2017, we have led Scotland’s presence at Classical Next and, supported by Creative Scotland, we attend the annual showcase and expo with thousands of delegates from all over the globe.
Hosting Scotland’s Trade Fair stand, we work with the Scotland delegation of composers, musicians and key organisations to shine a light on Scotland’s vibrant contemporary music scene.
Meet the 2022 Delegates
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Michael Begg
Michael is an award-winning composer. As associate artist at Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall, Begg has just begun a residency with the European Marine Board, EMBracing the Ocean.
“Michael Begg is one of our most significant contemporary experimental composers. A true visionary, Begg has quietly developed his own unique and affecting compositional style and sound.” - The Active Listener
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Jo Buckley
Dunedin Consort is one of the world’s leading Baroque ensembles, recognised for its vivid and insightful performances and recordings.
The ensemble has earned two coveted Gramophone Awards and a Grammy nomination. In 2021 it was the recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society Ensemble Award.
Jo Buckley, CEO of Dunedin Consort, will be at Classical:NEXT presenting a Project Pitch on Thursday 19 May.
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Emma Campbell
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here.
Emma Campbell’s work focuses on traditional, western classical, youth and community sectors.
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Claire Hewitt
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here.
Clare Hewitt’s work has a focus on jazz and western classical music.
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Claire Docherty
Sonic Bothy is an inclusive ensemble and organisation that explores, composes and performs experimental and new music.
Sonic Bothy projects create original works defining new musical directions with accessibility underpinning, sometimes inspiring and often radically and dynamically shaping the music.
Claire Docherty, Creative Director of Sonic Bothy, will be at Classical:NEXT presenting a Project Pitch on Tuesday 17 May.
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Richard Greer
Richard Greer is a composer and Artistic Director living and working in Scotland. His work has explored very human themes and he has a particular interest in how we make sense of our experiences and how we construct our picture of the world.
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Ben Lunn
Ben Lunn is a multi-award winning composer, based in Airdrie. Current and recent projects include works for Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Ensemble Proton Bern, Orkest de Ereprijs, Durham Brass Festival, Hebrides Ensemble, and Drake Music Scotland’s Digital Orchestra. He is also a regular contributor to the Morning Star and Culture Matters.
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Paul MacAlindin
Paul MacAlindin has conducted orchestras and ensembles all over the world, from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the RSNO, Oulu Sinfonia and Armenian Philharmonic to the ensembles of the Düsseldorf Symphoniker, Psappha and Cantiere Montepulciano. He has recorded for BBC Radio 3, WDR and Radio New Zealand. His most striking role to date has been as Music Director of the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq, whose story he told in UPBEAT: the Story of the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq, published by Sandstone Press.
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Amanda MacLeod
St Andrews Voices is Scotland’s Singing Festival, run in partnership with The University of St Andrews. The festival was launched in 2012 and takes place each October in the magnificent setting of St Andrews on the Fife coast. Festival Director Amanda MacLeod has established its place in the Scottish musical calendar, and the festival is admired for its diverse programming, presenting some of the finest singers from the UK and beyond.
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Red Note Ensemble
Since its formation, Red Note Ensemble has taken up a leadership position as Scotland’s contemporary music ensemble, performing and developing an extensive, highly varied and critically acclaimed programme of new music to the highest standards, and taking new music out to audiences across Scotland and internationally.
John Harris, Chief Executive and Artistic Director
Louise Martin, Director of Access, Engagement and Participation
Sarah Mills, Acting General Manager -
Allie Robertson
Ailie Robertson is a multi-award winning Scottish composer who has been commissioned by some of the world’s leading classical music organisations, including the BBC Proms, Scottish Ensemble, Glyndebourne Opera, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bang on a Can, Cappella Nova, Exaudi and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
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Thursa Sanderson OBE
Drake Music Scotland puts disabled musicians, creative artists, ensembles and learners at the heart of its work, creating transformational opportunities for them to have their voices heard and achieve their musical ambitions. Their Artistic Programme includes disabled artist-led performance projects in partnership with cultural and music organisations such as Sir James MacMillan’s Cumnock Tryst, Hebrides Ensemble, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and sound.
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Gill Maxwell
The Scottish Music Centre is a nationally and internationally recognised organisation at the heart of the Scotland’s music industry. From preserving Scotland’s music heritage with an ever-expanding archive to representing contemporary composers and musicians, the Centre supports, promotes and champions the wealth of talent in Scotland’s music community. They act as a conduit, a catalyst and a connector to those working in the sector and the public at home and abroad.
Gill Maxwell is Executive Director.
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Laura Leslie
The Scottish Music Centre is a nationally and internationally recognised organisation at the heart of the Scotland’s music industry. From preserving Scotland’s music heritage with an ever-expanding archive to representing contemporary composers and musicians, the Centre supports, promotes and champions the wealth of talent in Scotland’s music community. They act as a conduit, a catalyst and a connector to those working in the sector and the public at home and abroad.
Laura Leslie is Membership Officer.
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Oliver Searle
Oliver Searle is a Glasgow-based composer and educator and is currently Interim Head of Composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He has written a wide variety of works for many professional, amateur, youth and theatre organisations, which have been broadcast and performed around the world, and is interested in developing new environments for new music, collaborating with other artists and organisations to find ways to communicate to new audiences.
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Neil Tòmas Smith
Neil Tòmas Smith hails from Edinburgh and is a composer of chamber, orchestral and choral works. Smith studied in York and Stuttgart, winning first prize in the Acht Brücken Composition Competition with Gravitation. He has worked with various orchestras, including the WDR Symphony Orchestra, RSNO and LPO.
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Simon Thacker
Scotland’s “musical alchemist” (World Music Report) Simon Thacker is a guitarist, composer, improviser and ensemble leader. He creates startlingly original instrumental music, reimagines traditions through immersion and explores his instrument with passion and virtuosity.
He is a Scottish New Music Award winner and Ivor Novello nominee.
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Paul Tracey
Chamber Music Scotland (CMS) is the national body for chamber music in Scotland. CMS work with individuals and organisations across the sector to develop, connect, and advocate for the chamber music community, and act as facilitator and producer of high-quality chamber music projects. They aim to shape a rich, distinctive, and resilient future for chamber music in Scotland which celebrates the best of our traditions, but arealso committed to experimentation, innovation, and excellence.
Facebook: /chambermusicscotland
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Matthew Whiteside
Matthew Whiteside is a composer and the Artistic Director of The Night With...
As a composer he has been commissioned by Crash Ensemble, Glasgow Barons, and Scottish Opera and has self-released much of his music. He frequently mentors other composers on the release process.
The Night With... is a concert series touring new music to non-traditional venues across Scotland and Northern Ireland recently programming Garth Knox and Red Note Ensemble.
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Your guide to Scotland’s classical festivals, venues and touring
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Your guide to Scotland’s Delegation at Classical:NEXT 2022