Cowal Music Club

16/08/2024

Alan & Rebecca Tavener Concerts at Kilmun!

CMC is pleased to help promote a concert at Historic Kilmun this evening.

Historic Kilmun is delighted to be offering a special evening concert at 7.30pm on Friday August 16th, with a wonderful programme of singing and organ music by Alan and Rebecca Tavener from Glasgow’s Capella Nova.

Alan Tavener (organ) was awarded the BEM in the 2020 New Year Honours List for his “services to choral music in Scotland”, and is well-known as Director of Glasgow’s concert choir Capella Nova, which specialises in early music. He is also known for his work at Jordanhill Church in Glasgow, where he formed a community choir and an ecumenical liturgical choir, and made a CD of solo organ music. Alan studied at Oxford University and was an educational research graduate of Strathclyde University, where he focused on the social and health benefits of group-singing. He is also an Honorary Member of the Glasgow Society of Organists and an honorary Associate of the Royal School of Church Music.

Rebecca Tavener co-founded Capella Nova, Scotland’s first professional choir specialising in early music, in 1982. Over the following years she instigated what became a very impressive commissioning programme, now standing at over 100 pieces, including works by James McMillan, Panufnik, Jackson, John Tavener, and many other prominent composers. Capella Nova has won several awards and made over 20 recordings. She is currently involved in a pan-European project promoting medieval music associated with Celtic saints, and writes about music for record labels and specialist journals. She is well known as a teacher of singing and public speaking.

With a fascinating programme ranging from ‘A Highland Rose’ by the English composer Christopher Tambling, and including ‘Panis Angelicus’ and ‘Ave Maria’ by French composer Cesar Frank, and ‘Pie Jesu’ from Faure’s Requiem, to two songs by Sir James McMillan, this promises to be a very special evening. Haydn’s very jolly and entertaining ‘Four Pieces for Flute Clocks’ is another piece to listen out for, and French composer Theodore Salome’s ‘Grand Choeur in A’ for organ will make a cheerful and impressive finale.
All are very welcome to come and enjoy a great evening’s music given by these first-class musicians!

Tickets are available at £10 from Bookpoint and 01369706591. Refreshments will be available.

03/08/2024

The return of the Music Academy for Schools to the Dunoon Burgh Hall was very enjoyable with film music from the Wind Band and classic swing music from the Swing Band. This video is Fly Me to the Moon played by the Swing Band.

02/08/2024

Don’t forget tonight’s concert at Dunoon Burgh Hall. Starts at 7:30. Free (donations).
Music Academy for Schools Wind Band playing film themes and Swing Band playing swing era classics.

28/07/2024

Date correction for Alison McNeill and Sasha Savaloni concert:
Please note that the concert in September, previously published as being on Sunday 29th September is actually on SUNDAY 22 SEPTEMBER.
If you have tickets they will be valid for that date, note that your season ticket will have the incorrect date on it. Please correct it. Your tickets will be valid for the corrected date.
The event on Facebook and the CMC website has been updated.
Apologies for any inconvenience.

26/07/2024

We now have more details of the concert on Friday 2nd August.

Music Academy for Schools (MAS) was founded in 2009 by Rob Murray. Based in Burton-on-Trent, MAS offers tuition to children in the local primary and secondary schools. The students are encouraged to join the weekly ensembles, and in this concert we will hear from the Academy Swing Band and Wind Band. The bands visited Dunoon in 2022 and are delighted to be back again this year. Before the Scottish tours, the MAS ensembles toured Belgium, France, Isle of Wight, Somerset, Bournemouth and Holland. The bands are going to perform a selection of music from Stage and Screen, along with some swing-era classics.

Programme:

Wind Band
Harry Potter featuring – Themes from all eight films. (The themes included are "Hedwig's Theme" and "Nimbus 2000" from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, "Fawkes the Phoenix" from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, "Double Trouble" from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, "Hogwarts' Hymn" from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, "Dumbledore's Army" from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, "Harry and Hermione" from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, "Ministry of Magic" from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, "Showdown" from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, and "Leaving Hogwarts," which appeared at the end of both the first and last movies.
Pirates of the Caribbean featuring – The Black Pearl, Blood Ritual, The Medallion Calls and Walk The Plank
Great Movie Adventures featuring – Star Wars, Jurassic Park Theme and Theme from E.T
Disney Medley featuring – Under the Sea, The Circle of Life, You’ve Got a Friend in Me & Beauty and the Beast
Highlights from How To Train Your Dragon
Slumdog Millionaire featuring – O, Saya, Aaj Ki Raat, Dreams On Fire and Jai Ho
Moana featuring – Where You Are, How Far I’ll Go, You’re Welcome and We Know The Way
The Lord of the Rings Highlights from The Fellowship of the Ring

--- INTERVAL ---

Swing Band
Zoot Suit Riot
Sway
Save The Last Dance
Fly Me To The Moon
Embraceable You
L-O-V-E
It Don’t Mean A Thing
In The Mood
Pennsylvania 6-5000
Steppin’ Out
S’Wonderful
La Vie En Rose
Flip, Flop, Fly
That’s a Plenty

22/07/2024

22/07/2024

Next event 2 August, Music Academy for Schools.
Note time change to 7.30 pm.

There will now be only one concert, the Wind and Swing Bands playing film music and swing classics.

The Music Academy for Schools, who last performed here in 2022, are returning to Dunoon for another great concert with their Wind Band (performing film music) and Swing Band (performing swing classics). Free concert with donations requested.

17/07/2024

Top Guitarist at Cowal Music Club.

Cowal Music Club is looking forward to welcoming the well known Scottish guitarist Ian Watt to perform at its next concert this Sunday evening July 21st at 19.30 in St John’s Church Hall, Victoria Road, Dunoon.

Recently described by Classical Guitar Magazine as “a guitarist of outstanding skill and originality”, he already has an international track record, having performed solo recitals in the USA, China, South Korea, Brazil, Spain, Italy, and Germany. He has also performed as soloist with the BBC SSO, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia and broadcast widely, including performing on BBC Radios 2 and 3, Classic FM, North German Radio, and WSMC Radio in the USA.

His recent recordings include 3 for Nimbus Alliance, and press coverage has been remarkably favourable, with comments such as ‘astoundingly atmospheric’, ‘dazzlingly virtuosic’, and even, ‘sublime’.

Ian has been complimented by BBC Music Magazine on his ‘exceptional range of timbre’, and perhaps that should be no surprise when bearing in mind that he has won numerous international prizes including 1st prize at the Heinsberg International Guitar Competition (2011), 1st prize at the Westphalian Guitar Spring Competition (2010/Germany), and 2nd prize at the Parkening International Guitar Competition (2009) in the USA, - sometimes described as the world’s most prestigious.
His programme for Sunday’s concert is rich and varied, ranging from 16th century Italian music including 2 Fantasias by Francesco da Milano, to Scottish composer John Macleod’s ‘Three Mythical Pieces’ (2012), with their evocative titles, -‘Amphion’s Lyre’, ‘Salamander’, and ‘Ariadne’s Thread’. Also in the programme are Debussy’s ‘The Girl with the flaxen hair’, - transcribed from the preludes for piano, ‘La Catedral’ by 20th century Paraguayan composer/guitarist Augustin Barrios, and the evening will finish with the especially effective ‘Danza del Molinero’, by the celebrated Spanish composer & pianist, Manuel de Falla.

Cowal Music Club is hoping for another good turnout at Sunday evening’s concert, and all are very welcome! Enjoy!

24/06/2024

All the currently planned concerts for our 2024-2025 season are now on our website and in Facebook. We look forward to seeing you. The next concert is Ian Watt - Guitar - on 21st July.

What's on in Argyll hosted by Cowal Music Club in Dunoon.

24/06/2024

If you want to see and hear live music in Scotland, it's always worth checking out Chamber Music Scotland. We advertise our events there.

24/06/2024

An update on next year’s concert from Naho Hayashi - Piano.

Naho Hayashi came with her Trio to perform for us in 2023 and we had a great concert. She is making a very welcome return with Silviya Mihaylova to play a piano recital to round off our 2024-25 season. Programme to be advised.

20/06/2024

A bit of very advance publicity: we are delighted to announce that for the last concert in our 2024-25 season, on 23 March at 2:30 pm at Dunoon Burgh Hall, Naho Hayashi is making a very welcome return to give a piano recital. More details including the programme nearer the time.

06/06/2024

Music Academy for Schools Returns to Dunoon Burgh Hall.
We are delighted to again help the Music Academy for Schools to arrange a gala concert at the Dunoon Burgh Hall on Friday 2nd August 2024.
We are planning two concerts.
3.00 pm Wind Band and Swing Ensemble
7.30 pm Blues Brothers band

More details will be announced soon.

28/05/2024

Excellent Barra Trio Concert. Philip Norris reviews the first evening concert on 26 May.

Cowal Music Club’s concert on 26 May was a wonderful evening’s music-making, when The Barra Trio performed an excellent programme.

21/05/2024

Top Trio Concert in Dunoon.
Don't forget the Barra Trio Concert at St. John's on Sunday evening this week 26 May.

Cowal Music Club is really looking forward to its next concert this Sunday evening (May 26th) in St John’s Church Hall, Dunoon, at 7.30pm, when The Barra Trio, Katrina Lee (violin), Liam Brolly (viola), and Elias Rooney (cello), will perform a marvellous and varied programme of music for String Trios.

This is a young but very distinguished ensemble, well known for their exemplary musicianship and commitment to performing both historic masterpieces and contemporary works.

Katrina Lee, who leads the trio, is already known to Cowal audiences for her outstanding concert with the Escocia Duo (with her guitarist husband Roberto Versluys) in December 2023, when she enthralled the audience with her superb playing. She is Yorkshire-born but studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS), where she graduated with First-Class Honours in 2014, and won all the string and chamber music prizes, including the Governors’ Prizes, the Hilda Bailey Award & the Ian Watt award. She has been Principal 2nd Violin in Scottish Ballet Orchestra since 2017, and has often played with eminent orchestras such as the BBC SSO, RSNO, LPO, and BBC Symphony Orchestra. She also seeks to champion music by composers who have been overlooked, and has gained a reputation as a champion of diversity and inclusion in classical music.

Liam Brolly, (violist) comes from Glasgow, but has already enjoyed an international career, having worked in orchestras in Malta, Australia, and the USA, as well as the UK. He is well-known as a chamber musician, having guested with the Tokyo, Edinburgh, and St Lawrence String Quartets. He has also worked with Noah Bendix-Balgley, Concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and holds an Artist Diploma from the Colburn School in Los Angeles, where he studied with Paul Coletti.

Elias Rooney (cellist) studied at the RCS under Robert Irvine and later in London with Natalie Clein. During his time at RCS he gained extensive experience playing chamber music, and won all the available prizes for chamber music. He has also guested with the Edinburgh Quartet. He currently freelances with many UK and Irish orchestras including ENO, The Scottish Ballet Orchestra, BBC SSO, the Ulster Orchestra, and the RTE Concert Orchestra, as well as being a member of the award-winning Belfast Ensemble, - a group bringing new and cross-disciplinary performances to Northern Ireland.

Sunday’s programme includes a highly varied and colourful array of repertoire ranging from Trios by Schubert and Hummel ( a contemporary of Beethoven), to fabulous works by Dohnanyi and Kodaly, plus a few little surprises!

All are very welcome to go along and enjoy a marvellous musical evening at St John’s Hall!

Tickets online at https://www.cowalmusicclub.co.uk/events/barra-trio-evening-concert or on the door.

05/04/2024

We are delighted to announce our programme of concerts for the 2024-25 season. This year we are having six main concerts but there will be some others, probably including a jointly promoted organ concert at Kilmun Church in October.
We are trying some evening concerts and also two events at St. John's Church Hall which is a smaller and intimate venue ideal for chamber music. We start the season with the Barra String Trio at St. John's on 26 May at 7.30 pm. See you there!

25/03/2024

We had a great time with Joy Dunlop and her band at the Dunoon Burgh Hall yesterday. See our report on the event:

What a success last Sunday’s Cowal Music Club concert with Joy Dunlop and her band turned out to be!

With a very large audience, the hall had a real buzz about it, not least because the group were still carrying out sound/amplification tests until minutes before the starting time at 2.30pm.

Well known as a television presenter, singer, dancer, journalist, and educator, Joy is a passionate ambassador of Gaelic language and culture, and is a fluent Gaelic speaker. Her ability to introduce every item with ease both in Gaelic and English was quite remarkable, as were her flawless singing – all by memory, and, in one item, her dancing. And she showed off to advantage so many different songs and styles, - all in Gaelic, with her beautiful natural soprano voice.

During the afternoon she always set the scene for each item, with the programme imaginatively planned to include Walking Songs, Ballads, Medleys with Reels Strathspeys & Jigs, a Corn-Cutting song, and even an especially atmospheric song about the Highland Clearances. The one song with audience participation in Gaelic was also remarkably successful, being otherwise unaccompanied, and was definitely atmospheric – a great choice for the programme..

Another memorable item was the Jasmine Flower Song, in a pseudo-Chinese style, (with melodic echoes like Puccini’s ‘Turandot’), and sung partly in Chinese, and partly Gaelic, which the group had performed during a tour of China.

Joy said that she feels very much at home in Argyll, having grown up in Connel, and also expressed her enthusiasm for Gaelic choirs. The audience was very enthusiastic, including the youngsters, some of whom were frequently seen dancing spontaneously, and some of whom were from Sandbank Primary School.

Joy was eminently well supported by her band, with guitarist and arranger Ron Jappy, bass guitarist Gus Stirrat, drummer Scott Jamieson, and fiddler Mhairi Marwick from Fochabers. Mhairi’s conspicuously well-projected contributions on her fiddle played a major part in the group’s arrangements, with real Highland fiddle solos and counter melodies as well as energetic rhythms, which greatly enhanced the group’s Celtic musical style.

Look out for Cowal Music Club’s next concert on May 26th at 7.30pm in St John’s Church hall, when the Gaia Duo (violin & cello) will perform.

22/03/2024

Looking forward to Joy on Sunday!
Cowal Music Club is eagerly looking forward to its next concert with Scottish celebrity Joy Dunlop and her band on Sunday March 24th at 2.30pm in Dunoon’s Burgh Hall.

Well known as a television presenter, singer, dancer, journalist, and educator, Joy is a passionate ambassador of Gaelic language and culture, is a fluent Gaelic speaker, and has had a life-long fascination with Scotland’s traditional music, which has taken her across the world, from major Celtic festivals to Europe, USA, Japan, and New Zealand.

Joy has an enviable reputation for showcasing Gaelic music and song in a modern way which always remains true to its roots, and has in recent years been nominated 4 times as Gaelic Singer of the Year, as well as winning the Royal National Mod and Oban Times Gold Medals. She has also had unique success in winning both Traditional Singer of the Year and Traditional Dance Champion at the Pan Celtic Festival.

Having grown up in the village of Connel in north Argyll, she has always been influenced by Scottish traditional music, and is renowned for her capacity to “breath freshness” into it, delivering performances which speak to all audiences, with her voice “as luminous and compelling as the landscapes of her native Argyll”.

Recently she has released 3 highly acclaimed solo albums, -‘Caoir’, ‘Dusgadh’ and ‘Faileasan’, as well as ‘Dithis’, - a duo album with her brother Andrew. As broadcaster, Joy presents the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition, and often hosts the well-known programme ‘Travelling Folk’. She is also creator and co-host of the successful Gaelic and Irish podcast ‘A-nunn’s Anall’.

Joining her will be her 4-piece band, including guitarist and arranger Ron Jappy, who is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, fiddler Mhairi Marwick from Fochabers, Glasgow-based bass guitarist and studio engineer Gus Stirrat, and drummer and teacher Scott Jamieson from Edinburgh.

With such eye-catching credentials, it promises to be a wonderful Sunday afternoon’s entertainment in the Burgh Hall, - with an excellent ‘forecast’, -an opportunity not to be missed, and early booking is highly recommended!

21/03/2024

Well said!

Popular singer, musician and broadcaster, Joy Dunlop, with her band, showcases Gaelic music and song in a contemporary way that always remains true to its roots.

06/03/2024

Up to date information on the line-up at Joy Dunlop's forthcoming concert for Cowal Music Club at Dunoon Burgh Hall on 24th March. Don't miss it! Full information and tickets now online on our website at

Popular singer, musician and broadcaster, Joy Dunlop, with her band, showcases Gaelic music and song in a contemporary way that always remains true to its roots.

21/02/2024

Outstanding String Quartet Concert by Salomé

Cowal Music Club’s concert in Dunoon’s Burgh Hall last Sunday featured the outstanding Salome String Quartet, Haim Choi & Coco Inman (violins), Kasia Ziminska (viola), and Shizuku Tatsono (cello), and attracted a large audience, who were manifestly enthralled by their playing.

It was already clear that this young Quartet were of an enviable pedigree, as winners of the UK 2023 Tunnell Trust award, and within the first few moments of the recital, it was obvious that the quality of playing was indeed exceptional.

All four players showed a marvellous combination of technical assurance, beauty of sound, great sensitivity, and remarkable passion and commitment, which translated into highly impressive and meaningful performances of all the works in the programme. Tempi, balance, ensemble, and dynamics were all handled superbly, as were the various solos which each player had to deliver, and the quartet played with remarkable confidence throughout.

The programme itself was especially interesting, including (as the first piece) a memorably expressive quartet movement by F***y Mendelssohn, - sibling of the famous Felix Mendelssohn, whose A minor Quartet op 13 followed. This is a Romantic work with some fast and intricate sections which sounded at times quite breathtaking, while the expressive passages were simply beautiful.
After the break, the quartet performed the Russian composer Shostakovitch’s String Quartet no 3 in F, which, as was mentioned in the comprehensive introduction by Kasia Ziminska, was written at a difficult time for the composer, when the Russian dictator, Stalin, was in power. Intriguingly, it was written in 1946 at the end of World War 2, and is in 5 movements with thought-provoking titles, such as Awareness, Rumblings of Unrest, War unleashed, Hommage to the dead, and Eternal Questions (why? and ‘for what?).

This challenging work can really only be attempted by professional players, and the performance which followed displayed very directly all the high drama, different moods, virtuosity, and expression demanded. Everything, from saltando bowing to harmonics and sparse textures sounded totally under control – quite a technical, as well as musical, feat.

The afternoon’s concert was exhilarating and superb, as was demonstrated at the end by the enthusiastic and sustained applause from the audience. Watch out for this young, highly talented quartet in the future – they appear to have got off to a very impressive start!

Report by Philip Norris

23/01/2024

Laura Sergeant and Kristina Yorgova in concert

Last Sunday afternoon’s Cowal Music Club concert, given by Laura Sergeant (cello) and Kristina Yorgovo (piano), turned out to be the perfect antidote to the storm brewing outside. Laura (from Larbert) and Kristina (from Bulgaria) have been performing together since they met at the Royal Conservato...

19/01/2024

Don't forget Sunday's concert:
Laura Sergeant & Kristina Yorgovo - Piano & Cello

Don't forget to join us on Sunday afternoon for a fantastic programme of Cello and Piano music featuring Bach, Debussy, Rachmaninov, Cassadó, and Prokofiev

14/01/2024

Details of our concert on Sunday

Cowal Music Club is looking forward to its first concert of 2024 this Sunday afternoon, January 21st, at 2.30pm, when Laura Sergeant (cello) and Kristina Yorgova (piano) will perform a full and very attractive programme. Laura and Kristina have been performing together since they met at the Royal Co...

07/12/2023

Escocia piece from last Sunday.
We would like to share a piece that Escocia have just posted on YouTube from their new CD. This was one of the beautiful pieces they played for us last Sunday. If you came along, then this is a reminder of a lovely afternoon. If you didn't, this is the quality of music you are missing! Next concert is on 21 January. See our website for details. Here's the video:

Sete Aneis unveils the enchanting fusion of two cherished musical genres, folk and tango, evoking the soul and spirit of South America's diverse cultures. Th...

05/12/2023

We had a great time at Escocia's Concert last Sunday. See the write up and don't miss our next concert on 21 January.

On Sunday 3rd Decembere, Cowal Music Club's concert, given by the Escocia Duo, - Katrina Lee (violin) and Roberto Kuhn Versluys (guitar), was outstanding and highly memorable, due to the remarkable musicianship and abilities of the performers. Right from the first piece, the Centone Di Sonata by Pag...

03/12/2023

Great concert this afternoon from The Escocia Duo. We will post a report when Philip writes it but meanwhile here are one or two photos.

29/11/2023

Don't forget Sunday's Concert - Escocia Duo - At Dunoon Burgh Hall at 2:30.

Here is Philip Norris's introduction:

Cowal Music Club is looking forward to its next concert this Sunday afternoon, December 3rd, at 2.30pm in Dunoon’s Burgh Hall, when the Escocia Duo, Katrina Lee (violin) and Roberto Kuhn Versluys (guitar) will perform.

Already an established duo, Katrina and Roberto met while studying for masters degrees at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) in Glasgow. However they made their debut in May 2017 in Chile – Roberto’s homeland, where they have given numerous performances. Roberto was also a member of the Guitar Ensemble of Chile, the Pontifical Catholic University Guitar Ensemble, and more recently worked with the Baden-Wurttemberg Guitar Youth Orchestra in Germany. His solo career has already taken him to parts of America, Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina , and Colombia, as well as Chile.

Katrina, who comes from Yorkshire, graduated with a masters degree from the RCS in 2016, where she studied violin with Andrea Gajic and won several awards including the Governors’ Recital Prize for Strings, the Hilda Bailey Prize, and the Ian Watt award. She is also a member of the Gaia Duo (with cellist Alice Allen), who performed for Cowal Music Club last June, and the Brodick String Quartet. She was appointed Principal Second Violin in Scottish Ballet Orchestra in 2017, and works regularly with the BBC SSO, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and other UK orchestras. Interestingly, she plays a modern violin which is a copy of an instrument by the Italian master, Guaneri.

The programme for Sunday’s concert promises to be very varied and entertaining, with repertoire ranging from Paganini to Piazzolla, - both of these composers being known for their very colourful and often impressively virtuosic music. In fact the whole of the concert’s second part is devoted to music by Piazzolla, -including his ‘Oblivion’ and ‘Libertango’. Astor Piazzolla, himself an Argentinian virtuoso bandoneon (like a concertina) player, was in described in 1992 by a leading American music critic as “The world’s foremost composer of Tango music”.

In the first part of the concert, a selection of Scottish works (including ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ and ‘Farewell to Stromness’) will follow Paganini’s fascinating ‘Centone di Sonata’, - and the audience will be treated to a ‘Sneak Peak’ at the Duo’s new Album, to be released next Friday, December 8th, which will include music by the very successful Brazilian composer Egberto Gismonti.
All are very welcome to come and enjoy this concert and support both Cowal Music Club and the Burgh Hall!

Enjoy!
Tickets only £12 (free for under 18s) on the door or online at https://www.cowalmusicclub.co.uk/events/escocia-duo-violin-guitar-december-2023

24/11/2023

Programme for the Escocia Duo concert on 3 December 2023 at Dunoon Burgh Hall at 2.30 pm.

Paganini - Centone Di Sonata

Selection of Scottish Works

Wild Mountain Thyme

Farewell to Stromness

Hamnataing

Album Sneak Peak

Palhaco / Agua E Vinho / Sete Aneis

---- Interval ----

Alfonsina Y El Mar
Zamba de Anta
Khespina
Huajra
Ave Maria
El Choclo
Oblivion
Libertango

This exciting programme includes El Choclo by Ángel Villoldo. You can see a video of the duo playing this piece on YouTube at

I recorded this performance during the 10th Classical Guitar Retreat at the Cathedral of the Isles on the Island of Cumbrae. Enjoy! http://www.cgretreat.com/...