Music links

For a more comprehensive directory of music-related links, please visit the Scottish Music Centre's industry database.

Groups and Ensembles
Information
Music Promoters
Traditional Music Tuition
Music Societies and Associations
Record Companies
Festivals
Venues

Groups and Ensembles

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra	The BBC's Scottish contract orchestra in Glasgow
Cappella Nova	Vocal ensemble specialising in early and modern music
Drake Music Project	National charity committed to providing the opportunity for disabled people to explore, compose and perform their own music
Dunedin Consort & Players	Scottish-based ensemble specializing in Baroque and Contemporary music
Edinburgh Quartet	Professional string quartet based in Edinburgh
Hebrides Ensemble	Edinburgh based flexible chamber group specializing in new and 20th-century music
Impact Arts	Community arts company committed to involving people of all ages and abilities in innovative and arts-based activities
Live Music Now!	UK social and educational initiative that organises over 3,000 performances across the UK each year
National Youth Choir of Scotland	An organisation which provides a forum for young people from all over Scotland to sing in choirs and vocal ensembles
National Youth Orchestras of Scotland	NYOS provides top class music education and performance experience for young musicians throughout Scotland
Paragon	Music company that commissions, performs, teaches new music and works with a wide variety of community groups
Royal Scottish National Orchestra	Scotland's national symphony orchestra, based in Glasgow
Scottish Chamber Orchestra	Scotland's national chamber orchestra, based in Edinburgh
Scottish Ensemble	Glasgow based group of twelve string soloists with a repertoire that spans from the Baroque era to the present day
Scottish National Jazz Orchestra	Scotland's principal contemporary jazz orchestra
Scottish Opera	Scotland's national opera company
Theatre Cryptic	Performing arts company which combines different media to create a multi-layered experience for audiences
Unusual Suspects	Folk group influenced by jazz and world music
The Whistlebinkies	A traditional music ensemble

Information

Gig Guide	A website which provides live gig listing and band directories
Hands Up For Trad	An organisation dedicated to increasing the profile and visibility of Scottish traditional music through information, education and advocacy
Jazz Services	A website providing information about jazz in the UK
Music in Scotland	A website dedicated to promoting music and musicians with a Celtic connection to a worldwide audience
Music Scotland	A website selling and giving information on releases of Scottish music
Music Tank	The UK's music business network - a collaborative community that deals with all styles of music
Scottish Music Centre	Organisation which provides information on all styles of Scottish music
Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame	A site dedicated to the promotion of musicians and industry people who have influenced Scottish traditional music.

Music Promoters

Asian Music Circuit	An organisation which aims to bring the best of traditional and contemporary music reflecting living traditions from Asia to the widest public possible
Assembly Direct	An organisation which promotes jazz music in Scotland
Children's Classic Concerts	An organisation which provides a fun-filled introduction to live orchestral music for children and families
Edinburgh Contemporary Arts Trust	An organisation which promotes performances of contemporary music in Edinburgh
Georgian Consort Society	An organisation promoting performances of early music in Edinburgh

Traditional Music Tuition

Ceolas	Gaelic music summer school in the Hebrides (5-10 July 2009)
Fèisean Nan Gaidheal	An organisation which supports the development of community-based Gaelic arts tuition festivals throughout Scotland
Glasgow Fiddle Workshop	An organisation which aims to promote the learning, understanding and appreciation of Scottish traditional fiddle music
The Piping Centre	An organisation which promotes the study and history of piping in Scotland
Scots Music Group	Community education project based in Edinburgh which aims to make the traditional music available to everyone by offering tuition and events

Music Societies and Associations

Association of British Orchestras	The national body representing the collective interests of professional orchestras throughout the UK
The British Association for Performing Arts Medicine	A charity providing specialist health advice and support to performing artists with performance-related health problems. The Scottish centre is in Glasgow.
Enterprise Music Scotland	EMS supports and co-ordinates the network of voluntary music promoters in Scotland
European Jazz Network	An association of promoters, musicians' associations, artistic directors, working in the field of jazz
Institute of Popular Music	An academic centre in the UK created specifically for the study of popular music
Making Music Scotland	An organisation which represents and supports amateur choirs, orchestras and music promoters of all kinds
Musicians Benevolent Fund (MBF)	The music business’s own charity, helping people of any age and in any area of the music business who are in need as a result of illness, accident or other misfortune, as well as serving a music education support role.
Musicians' Union	The Musicians' Union represents over thirty thousand musicians working in all sectors of the music business throughout the UK.
National Association of Youth Orchestras	An organisation which supports young instrumentalists in youth orchestras and ensembles throughout the UK
The Performing Rights Society	An organisation which collects licence fees for the public performance and broadcast of musical works
The PRS for Music Foundation	The PRS for Music Foundation (PRSF) is the UK's leading funder of new music across all genres, the Foundation supports a huge range of new music activity - everything from unsigned band showcases to residencies for music creators, from ground-breaking commissions to live electronica.
Scottish Amateur Music Association	An organisation which offers courses in tuition and gives experience of string orchestras and wind and brass bands
Shetland Folk Festival Society	A non-profit, volunteer-driven organisation dedicated to presenting the best folk music from around the globe to the local community and visitors alike
Traditional Music and Song Association	An organisation which promotes traditional music throughout Scotland

Record Companies

Below are a list of some of the record companies based in Scotland. For a more comprehensive listing, have a look at the record labels in the directory of the Scottish Music Centre.

7things	Online distributor of new experimental music
Chemikal Underground	Independent label based in Glasgow
Delphian Records	An Edinburgh record label specialising in classical music
Greentrax Recordings	Company releasing Scottish, Irish, Celtic and Gaelic music
Macmeanmna Records	A record company specialising in Gaelic music
Optimo Music	The music outlet of the club in Glasgow
P3 Music	A record label specialising in guitar music from various genres
Soma Records	Scottish record label releasing dance music
Shoeshine Records	Record label releasing indie guitar pop and country-rock music
Whirlie Records	An independent record label specialising in the recordings of Celtic musicians Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham

Festivals

Below are a list of some of the festivals that we fund. For a more comprehensive listing, have a look at the festivals in the directory of the Scottish Music Centre.

Aberdeen International Youth Festival	A youth arts festival which attracts the world's leading youth arts groups (29 July-8 August 2009)
Blas Festival	Gaelic music and culture festival (4-12 September 2009)
Celtic Connections	Glasgow's international festival of traditional music takes place in January each year
Dundee Guitar Festival	An annual festival which celebrates the guitar in its many forms
East Neuk Festival	Festival of music and poetry (1-5 July 2009)
Edinburgh Festival Fringe	A multi-arts festival held in Edinburgh during August
Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival	A festival featuring jazz artists from Scotland and further afield, held in Edinburgh during the summer
Edinburgh International Festival	Major curated arts festival taking place each August
Edinburgh International Harp Festival	A festival which takes place during May each year
Fest'n'Furious	Traditional music festival in Dundee (2-4 Oct 2009)
Glasgow International Jazz Festival	A jazz festival which takes place during June in Glasgow
Hebridean Celtic Festival	A four-day musical celebration based in Stornoway
Music at Paxton	Summer chamber music festival (17-26 July 2009)
Nairn Jazz Festival	A jazz festival taking place during August in Nairn
Orkney Folk Festival	A folk festival taking place in Orkney during May
Shetland Folk Festival	A festival held in Shetland during May each year
Sound	New music festival in North-East Scotland (Oct-Nov)
St Magnus Festival	Orkney's midsummer festival of the arts

Venues

An Lanntair	Small arts centre at Stornaway Town Hall
Aros	Music and arts centre on the Isle of Skye
CCA	Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow
City Halls	Home to BBCSSO and the Scottish Music Centre
Crear	Studio and rehearsal space with accommodation
DCA	Dundee Centre for Contemporary Arts
Eden Court	Large arts and entertainment venue in Inverness
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall	Concert hall home to RSNO and Celtic Connections
Horsecross	Perth Concert Hall
Lemon Tree	Aberdeen Performing Arts' venue for drama, music, comedy and dance
MacPhail Centre	A mid-scale performance venue in Ullapool
Òran Mór	Cultural centre in a converted church in Glasgow
Out of the Blue	Multi-arts venue in Leith, Edinburgh
Queens Hall	Concert hall in Edinburgh offering a wide range of music
Sabhal Mòr Ostaig	Scotland's Gaelic College on the Isle of Skye
Tolbooth	Stirling's venue for music and the arts