Sunday 13th August 10.30am
St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral,
Palmerston Place
Edinburgh Festival of the Sacred Arts in the Fringe - Opening Church Service
Sung Eucharist
Gilbert Scott's dramatic architectural landmark, with its three spires prominent in Edinburgh's distinctive skyline, provides a magnificent setting for this opening event. A Sung Eucharist will be celebrated in accordance with the Scottish Liturgy of 1982 and the renowned Cathedral Choir under the direction of Duncan Ferguson, Organist and Master of Music, will sing William Byrd's Mass of Five Voices. The preacher will be Revd Canon Marion Chatterly, Vice Provost of the Cathedral.
Admission Free. All welcome!
St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral,
Palmerston Place
Edinburgh Festival of the Sacred Arts in the Fringe - Opening Church Service
Sung Eucharist
Gilbert Scott's dramatic architectural landmark, with its three spires prominent in Edinburgh's distinctive skyline, provides a magnificent setting for this opening event. A Sung Eucharist will be celebrated in accordance with the Scottish Liturgy of 1982 and the renowned Cathedral Choir under the direction of Duncan Ferguson, Organist and Master of Music, will sing William Byrd's Mass of Five Voices. The preacher will be Revd Canon Marion Chatterly, Vice Provost of the Cathedral.
Admission Free. All welcome!
EXHIBITIONS
Monday 14th August, 10am-4pm
St Michael and All Saints, Tollcross
The Art of Vestment
In the surroundings of this exceptional Anglo-Catholic church interior, local vestment maker Alex Anderson has assembled an exhibition of liturgical vestments, designed to reveal the extraordinary power this little-known art. Drawing on the rich resources of a number of Edinburgh churches, the exhibition displays the skillful use of fabrics and embroidery in the production of ceremonial garments that integrate visual beauty and spiritual meaning. The exhibition provides a rare opportunity to examine vestments that are usually seen only on the major festivals of the Christian year.
Admission Free. Suggested donation £5
St Michael and All Saints, Tollcross
The Art of Vestment
In the surroundings of this exceptional Anglo-Catholic church interior, local vestment maker Alex Anderson has assembled an exhibition of liturgical vestments, designed to reveal the extraordinary power this little-known art. Drawing on the rich resources of a number of Edinburgh churches, the exhibition displays the skillful use of fabrics and embroidery in the production of ceremonial garments that integrate visual beauty and spiritual meaning. The exhibition provides a rare opportunity to examine vestments that are usually seen only on the major festivals of the Christian year.
Admission Free. Suggested donation £5
Wednesday 15th
& Wed 16th August 10am-4pm
Old Saint Paul’s Church, Jeffrey Street
In the Steps of the Master:
Jesus and Landscape
The New Testament records a striking variety in the landscapes through which Jesus moved during the course of his ministry. This collaborative exhibition brings together Flower Guilds and Clubs from across Edinburgh. Using the long established and highly skilled art of arranging flowers, vegetation and natural objects, the exhibition aims to capture and convey the contrasting atmospheres of mountain, desert, lakeside and cornfield in which biblical events took place.
Admission Free. Suggested donation £5
& Wed 16th August 10am-4pm
Old Saint Paul’s Church, Jeffrey Street
In the Steps of the Master:
Jesus and Landscape
The New Testament records a striking variety in the landscapes through which Jesus moved during the course of his ministry. This collaborative exhibition brings together Flower Guilds and Clubs from across Edinburgh. Using the long established and highly skilled art of arranging flowers, vegetation and natural objects, the exhibition aims to capture and convey the contrasting atmospheres of mountain, desert, lakeside and cornfield in which biblical events took place.
Admission Free. Suggested donation £5
Thursday 17th, Friday 18th &
Saturday 19th August 10am-4pm
St Vincent’s Chapel, Stockbridge
The Art of the Icon
The Edinburgh School of Icon Painting, with Polish trained director Basia Mindewicz, makes a welcome return to the Festival with this exhibition of traditional and contemporary icons. Both styles are rooted in the Eastern Orthodox tradition and painted as a form of prayer and meditation using egg tempera and a modern version of encaustic technique. Contemporary icons employ a more personal language of art. Icons are available for purchase throughout the exhibition, and there is an accompanying talk about icon making on Friday 19th August.
Admission Free. Suggested donation £5
Saturday 19th August 10am-4pm
St Vincent’s Chapel, Stockbridge
The Art of the Icon
The Edinburgh School of Icon Painting, with Polish trained director Basia Mindewicz, makes a welcome return to the Festival with this exhibition of traditional and contemporary icons. Both styles are rooted in the Eastern Orthodox tradition and painted as a form of prayer and meditation using egg tempera and a modern version of encaustic technique. Contemporary icons employ a more personal language of art. Icons are available for purchase throughout the exhibition, and there is an accompanying talk about icon making on Friday 19th August.
Admission Free. Suggested donation £5
MUSIC
Sunday 13th August 9pm
St John's, Princes Street
(in conjunction with JUST Festival)
Songs of Displacement
Calum Robertson (clarinet) and Sally Carr (Soprano) will present music by the American composer Lori Laitman. In conjunction with Edinburgh's JUST Festival, this highly accomplished duo will perform Laitman's setting of two poetical works: I never saw another Butterly is a collection of poems written by children at the time of the Holocaust; The Ocean of Eternity is a setting of four poems reflecting on the experience of Jews in Nazi Germany. Written by Anne Ranasinghe (1925 - 2016), a German born Jewish poet, she subsequently became one of Sri Lanka's leading English language poets and won several international awards.
Tickets £10 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £8)
Under 16s £5
St John's, Princes Street
(in conjunction with JUST Festival)
Songs of Displacement
Calum Robertson (clarinet) and Sally Carr (Soprano) will present music by the American composer Lori Laitman. In conjunction with Edinburgh's JUST Festival, this highly accomplished duo will perform Laitman's setting of two poetical works: I never saw another Butterly is a collection of poems written by children at the time of the Holocaust; The Ocean of Eternity is a setting of four poems reflecting on the experience of Jews in Nazi Germany. Written by Anne Ranasinghe (1925 - 2016), a German born Jewish poet, she subsequently became one of Sri Lanka's leading English language poets and won several international awards.
Tickets £10 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £8)
Under 16s £5
Monday 14th August 1.10 -1.50pm
St Michael and All Saints, Tollcross
In Robes of White
The famous motet O Quam Gloriosum and its associated parody Mass by the Spanish composer Tomas Luis Victoria (1548-1611) provides the centrepiece of a lunchtime recital celebrating the exhibition of vestments in the Festival of the Sacred Arts. Sandy Chenery, Director of Music at St Michael’s and Director of Music at ESMS in Edinburgh directs the Choir in the exquisitely ornate surroundings of St Michael’s and All Saints.
Admission Free. Suggested donation £5
St Michael and All Saints, Tollcross
In Robes of White
The famous motet O Quam Gloriosum and its associated parody Mass by the Spanish composer Tomas Luis Victoria (1548-1611) provides the centrepiece of a lunchtime recital celebrating the exhibition of vestments in the Festival of the Sacred Arts. Sandy Chenery, Director of Music at St Michael’s and Director of Music at ESMS in Edinburgh directs the Choir in the exquisitely ornate surroundings of St Michael’s and All Saints.
Admission Free. Suggested donation £5
Monday 14th August 7.30pm
St Mary's Catholic Cathedral, York Place
Where there is Charity and Love - Schola Cantorum sings the music of Paul Mealor
The music of Aberdeen based composer Paul Mealor has won international acclaim and been chosen on several occasions to celebrate important royal events. Commissioned to compose for the Coronation of King Charles, at this recital of his work Mealor will talk about the sources of its inspiration in conversation with Michael Ferguson, Director of Schola Cantorum.
Tickets £16 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £14)
Under 16s £5
St Mary's Catholic Cathedral, York Place
Where there is Charity and Love - Schola Cantorum sings the music of Paul Mealor
The music of Aberdeen based composer Paul Mealor has won international acclaim and been chosen on several occasions to celebrate important royal events. Commissioned to compose for the Coronation of King Charles, at this recital of his work Mealor will talk about the sources of its inspiration in conversation with Michael Ferguson, Director of Schola Cantorum.
Tickets £16 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £14)
Under 16s £5
Tuesday 15th August 1.10pm
Old Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, Jeffrey Street
Rising to the Life Immortal - Organ Music for Easter and Ascension
John Kitchen MBE, one of Scotland's best known and most celebrated organists, Director of Music at Old Saint Paul's, Edinburgh City Organist and frequent recitalist at the Usher Hall offers festival goers an opportunity to experience some of the most exhilarating organ music ever composed. The programme will include movements from L' Ascension, Olivier Messiaen's spectacular celebration of Ascension Day.
Tickets £5 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £4)
Old Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, Jeffrey Street
Rising to the Life Immortal - Organ Music for Easter and Ascension
John Kitchen MBE, one of Scotland's best known and most celebrated organists, Director of Music at Old Saint Paul's, Edinburgh City Organist and frequent recitalist at the Usher Hall offers festival goers an opportunity to experience some of the most exhilarating organ music ever composed. The programme will include movements from L' Ascension, Olivier Messiaen's spectacular celebration of Ascension Day.
Tickets £5 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £4)
Wednesday August 16th 1.15 - 2.15pm
Canongate Kirk, The Royal Mile
Composing Sacred Music:
a new generation
For almost two thousand years, some of the most gifted musicians have been inspired to compose sacred music , often for use in the worship of the Church. This event showcases the work of four of Edinburgh’s newest young composers -- Alexander McNamee, Carlo Massimo, Viktor Seifert and Lucy Whitehead. A selection of their recent compositions in sacred music will be presented in this historic royal church by a specially recruited professional choir, under the direction of Calum Robertson, Director of Edinburgh University Singers.
This event has received generous financial support from the Edinburgh Society of Organists
Tickets £10 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £8)
Under 16s £5
Canongate Kirk, The Royal Mile
Composing Sacred Music:
a new generation
For almost two thousand years, some of the most gifted musicians have been inspired to compose sacred music , often for use in the worship of the Church. This event showcases the work of four of Edinburgh’s newest young composers -- Alexander McNamee, Carlo Massimo, Viktor Seifert and Lucy Whitehead. A selection of their recent compositions in sacred music will be presented in this historic royal church by a specially recruited professional choir, under the direction of Calum Robertson, Director of Edinburgh University Singers.
This event has received generous financial support from the Edinburgh Society of Organists
Tickets £10 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £8)
Under 16s £5
Thursday 17th August 7.30pm
St Vincent's Chapel, Stockbridge
God’s Craftsmen
Though the list of outstanding composers of sacred music is very long, J S Bach and G F Handel undoubtedly appear at the top. In this recital, two of their compositions – Bach’s Cantata 150 Nach dir Herr, and Handel’s Chandos Anthem Let God Arise – serve to reveal their astonishing mastery of the medium, even at an early stage in their careers. On this occasion, the Howe Street Band performs these works in the beautiful surroundings of St Vincent’s Chapel under the direction of Les Shankland.
Tickets £16 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £14)
Under 16s £5
St Vincent's Chapel, Stockbridge
God’s Craftsmen
Though the list of outstanding composers of sacred music is very long, J S Bach and G F Handel undoubtedly appear at the top. In this recital, two of their compositions – Bach’s Cantata 150 Nach dir Herr, and Handel’s Chandos Anthem Let God Arise – serve to reveal their astonishing mastery of the medium, even at an early stage in their careers. On this occasion, the Howe Street Band performs these works in the beautiful surroundings of St Vincent’s Chapel under the direction of Les Shankland.
Tickets £16 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £14)
Under 16s £5
Friday 18th August 8pm
Old Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church,
Jeffrey Street
Duruflé Requiem: life and death in music with poetry
This collaborative presentation intersperses the movements of one of the most celebrated works of 20th century sacred music with reflective poetry. The poems have been chosen to lend still greater depth of spiritual meaning to Duruflé's celebrated composition. Alongside the outstanding Choir of Old Saint Paul’s, under the direction of John Kitchen MBE, accomplished readers draw on a selection from the rich resources of Christian poetry in a wide variety of styles from the 16th to the 21st century.
Tickets £16 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £14)
Under 16s £5
Old Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church,
Jeffrey Street
Duruflé Requiem: life and death in music with poetry
This collaborative presentation intersperses the movements of one of the most celebrated works of 20th century sacred music with reflective poetry. The poems have been chosen to lend still greater depth of spiritual meaning to Duruflé's celebrated composition. Alongside the outstanding Choir of Old Saint Paul’s, under the direction of John Kitchen MBE, accomplished readers draw on a selection from the rich resources of Christian poetry in a wide variety of styles from the 16th to the 21st century.
Tickets £16 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £14)
Under 16s £5
POETRY and DRAMA
Sunday 13th August 3.30-4.45pm and 7-8.15pm
St Vincent’s Chapel Undercroft Stockbridge
The Mysteries – Reimagined
The newly formed Green Shoots Youth Theatre, under the direction of Faith Sutherland, transforms the atmospheric Undercroft of the Chapel into a compelling urban location for drama. Playwright Peter Holloway has recast five Medieval Guild plays into a contemporary idiom. ‘Noah’ (a tale of climate change), --‘The Shepherds’ -- ‘The Flight into Egypt’ (a story of refugees) -- Jesus’ Last Days – ‘The Whistle Blower’, and ‘The Resurrection’. These short plays capture the warmth, humour, compassion and humanity of the originals for a modern audience. There will be two performances.
Tickets £10 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £8)
Under 16s £5
St Vincent’s Chapel Undercroft Stockbridge
The Mysteries – Reimagined
The newly formed Green Shoots Youth Theatre, under the direction of Faith Sutherland, transforms the atmospheric Undercroft of the Chapel into a compelling urban location for drama. Playwright Peter Holloway has recast five Medieval Guild plays into a contemporary idiom. ‘Noah’ (a tale of climate change), --‘The Shepherds’ -- ‘The Flight into Egypt’ (a story of refugees) -- Jesus’ Last Days – ‘The Whistle Blower’, and ‘The Resurrection’. These short plays capture the warmth, humour, compassion and humanity of the originals for a modern audience. There will be two performances.
Tickets £10 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £8)
Under 16s £5
Tuesday 15th August 7.30pm
Greyfriars Kirk
(In conjunction with The Scottish Network for Religion and Literature & The Scottish Poetry Library)
Spirituality, Faith and Belief: Voyages of Discovery
Set in the historic context of Edinburgh’s famous Greyfriars Kirk this evening of poetry readings and panel discussion presents a unique opportunity to explore the role of literary works as avenues of spiritual discovery and personal pilgrimage. Participants include Rob Smith, Medha Singh and Jo Clifford.
Tickets £16 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £14)
Under 16s £5
Greyfriars Kirk
(In conjunction with The Scottish Network for Religion and Literature & The Scottish Poetry Library)
Spirituality, Faith and Belief: Voyages of Discovery
Set in the historic context of Edinburgh’s famous Greyfriars Kirk this evening of poetry readings and panel discussion presents a unique opportunity to explore the role of literary works as avenues of spiritual discovery and personal pilgrimage. Participants include Rob Smith, Medha Singh and Jo Clifford.
Tickets £16 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £14)
Under 16s £5
Friday 18th August 2.30 - 3.30pm
St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Palmerston Place
Strafed by Splendour: Under Paolozzi’s Window
To mark the millennium in 2000, St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral commissioned new stained-glass windows from Eduardo Paolozzi (1924-2005), one of Scotland’s most acclaimed visual artists. These windows in the South Transept provide the context for Christine De Luca (Edinburgh Makar 2014-17), Katherine Wake (flute) and Kirstie Meehan (National Gallery of Scotland Librarian & Paolozzi Archivist) to combine poetry, music and historical expertise in a celebration of one of Paolozzi’s great artistic achievements.
Tickets £10 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £8)
Under16s £5
St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Palmerston Place
Strafed by Splendour: Under Paolozzi’s Window
To mark the millennium in 2000, St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral commissioned new stained-glass windows from Eduardo Paolozzi (1924-2005), one of Scotland’s most acclaimed visual artists. These windows in the South Transept provide the context for Christine De Luca (Edinburgh Makar 2014-17), Katherine Wake (flute) and Kirstie Meehan (National Gallery of Scotland Librarian & Paolozzi Archivist) to combine poetry, music and historical expertise in a celebration of one of Paolozzi’s great artistic achievements.
Tickets £10 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £8)
Under16s £5
VISUAL ART and FILM
Wednesday 16th August 7.30 pm
Thursday 17th August 11am
Church of the Sacred Heart, Lauriston Street
Sanctified Royalty: Jacobite Relics and the Divine Right of Kings
Historically important Jacobite collections and archives are held at Stonyhurst College, including some very precious art objects. Dr Janet Graffius, Curator of the Stonyhurst collections and an internationally acclaimed expert, will use some of these artefacts to explore the cult of divinity that surrounded the Scottish royal family, from Mary Queen of Scots to Prince Charles Edward Stuart The talk will include an opportunity to see extraordinary Stuart relics and memorabilia up close -- as well as a unique recipe for King James’s Gingerbread!
Tickets £10 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £8)
Under 16s £5
Thursday 17th August 11am
Church of the Sacred Heart, Lauriston Street
Sanctified Royalty: Jacobite Relics and the Divine Right of Kings
Historically important Jacobite collections and archives are held at Stonyhurst College, including some very precious art objects. Dr Janet Graffius, Curator of the Stonyhurst collections and an internationally acclaimed expert, will use some of these artefacts to explore the cult of divinity that surrounded the Scottish royal family, from Mary Queen of Scots to Prince Charles Edward Stuart The talk will include an opportunity to see extraordinary Stuart relics and memorabilia up close -- as well as a unique recipe for King James’s Gingerbread!
Tickets £10 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £8)
Under 16s £5
Thursday 18th August 12 noon -12.30
and 1pm - 1.30pm
St Vincent’s Chapel Undercroft,
Stockbridge
The Desert at the Heart of the World
The Edinburgh Festival of the Sacred Arts is delighted to add film to its programme for the first time. The Desert in the Heart of the World is a cinematic study of the impact of the Carthusian monastic movement on the French landscape. In this short work, director Nadège Druzkowski combines superb visuals with natural sounds to make a compelling extended image of a sacred space. The film will be screened twice in the intimate surroundings of St Vincent’s Chapel Undercroft.
Tickets £8 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £6)
Under 16s £5
and 1pm - 1.30pm
St Vincent’s Chapel Undercroft,
Stockbridge
The Desert at the Heart of the World
The Edinburgh Festival of the Sacred Arts is delighted to add film to its programme for the first time. The Desert in the Heart of the World is a cinematic study of the impact of the Carthusian monastic movement on the French landscape. In this short work, director Nadège Druzkowski combines superb visuals with natural sounds to make a compelling extended image of a sacred space. The film will be screened twice in the intimate surroundings of St Vincent’s Chapel Undercroft.
Tickets £8 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £6)
Under 16s £5
Friday 18th August 11am
The Undercroft of St Vincent’s Chapel, Stockbridge
How to write an Icon
Basia Mindewicz, Director of the Edinburgh School of Icon Painting, explains the artistic techniques and spiritual inspiration behind one of the most venerated forms of sacred art. Originally learning the language of icons in a very traditional Russian style, on moving to Edinburgh she started exploring other ‘languages’, searching for more personal and contemporary ways of depicting reality, with a recent focus on icons that honour and celebrate the lives of animals.
Tickets £8 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £6)
Under 16s £5
The Undercroft of St Vincent’s Chapel, Stockbridge
How to write an Icon
Basia Mindewicz, Director of the Edinburgh School of Icon Painting, explains the artistic techniques and spiritual inspiration behind one of the most venerated forms of sacred art. Originally learning the language of icons in a very traditional Russian style, on moving to Edinburgh she started exploring other ‘languages’, searching for more personal and contemporary ways of depicting reality, with a recent focus on icons that honour and celebrate the lives of animals.
Tickets £8 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £6)
Under 16s £5
Saturday 19th August 11am
St Vincent’s Chapel, Stockbridge
The Art of Ecclesiastical Heraldry
The artistic design and legal awarding of heraldic arms has a very long history. Delivered within the richly adorned setting of St Vincent’s Chapel, this illustrated talk, by Russell Hunter, Lyon Clerk in the Court of the Lord Lyon, recounts the important part that the organization of the Christian Church and the decoration of its buildings has played in the origins, development and continuing use of the art of heraldry.
Tickets £8 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £6)
Under 16s £5
St Vincent’s Chapel, Stockbridge
The Art of Ecclesiastical Heraldry
The artistic design and legal awarding of heraldic arms has a very long history. Delivered within the richly adorned setting of St Vincent’s Chapel, this illustrated talk, by Russell Hunter, Lyon Clerk in the Court of the Lord Lyon, recounts the important part that the organization of the Christian Church and the decoration of its buildings has played in the origins, development and continuing use of the art of heraldry.
Tickets £8 (Friends of the Sacred Arts Festival £6)
Under 16s £5
Saturday 19th August 4pm
St Vincent's Chapel, Stockbridge
2023 Edinburgh Festival of the Sacred Arts in the Fringe Closing Church Service
Choral Evensong
Under its Director Paul Gudgin, the Choir of the Robin Chapel will lead the traditional Anglican service of Choral Evensong as a conclusion to the 2023 Sacred Arts Festival. The Robin Chapel, built in 1950 at the centre of a unique Edinburgh housing complex, The Thistle Foundation, is a memorial to Robin Tudsbury and well known for its excellent music.
Macmillan O Radiant Dawn;
Stanford Canticles in A;
Britten Festival Te Deum.
Admission Free. Donations invited. ALL WELCOME
St Vincent's Chapel, Stockbridge
2023 Edinburgh Festival of the Sacred Arts in the Fringe Closing Church Service
Choral Evensong
Under its Director Paul Gudgin, the Choir of the Robin Chapel will lead the traditional Anglican service of Choral Evensong as a conclusion to the 2023 Sacred Arts Festival. The Robin Chapel, built in 1950 at the centre of a unique Edinburgh housing complex, The Thistle Foundation, is a memorial to Robin Tudsbury and well known for its excellent music.
Macmillan O Radiant Dawn;
Stanford Canticles in A;
Britten Festival Te Deum.
Admission Free. Donations invited. ALL WELCOME