St Mary's Music School String Extravaganza

St Mary's Music School is hosting its String Extravaganza on Saturday 14 November, an afternoon dedicated to young string players. It's open to violinists, violists, cellists and double bassists, and the session builds towards a performance at the end.

For those who don't know it, St Mary's Music School is Scotland's only independent specialist music school. It's based at Coates Hall, 25 Grosvenor Crescent in Edinburgh West (EH12 5EL), and takes in musically gifted children aged 9 to 19. Entry is by audition and assessment, based on musical ability and potential rather than financial circumstances, with Scottish Government funding available through the Aided Places Scheme. The school is funded by fees, private and trust donations, and rental income.

It's a small place with a long reach. The alumni list reads like a who's who of the UK music scene: concert pianist Steven Osborne, Opera North's Music Director Garry Walker, composers Helen Grime and David Horne, and the actor, presenter and singer Alexander Armstrong, who was a chorister pupil. That's the kind of environment the school runs in, and the String Extravaganza is one of the ways it opens its doors to the wider musical community.

If you've got a young string player in the house, this is a good one to have on the radar. It's an afternoon of playing with other young musicians, and it finishes with a performance, so there's a proper result to show for it. It all happens on Saturday 14 November at St Mary's Music School, Coates Hall, 25 Grosvenor Crescent, Edinburgh West EH12 5EL.