The Bubblyjock Collective

Rosie Lavery soprano
Anna Michels piano
Neil Sutcliffe accordion

Border Poets and Border Ballads

Reiving, family feuds, unrequited love, and all in the setting of the Borders bonnie landscapes and towns. This programme explores how the rich tradition of Border Ballads has inspired Scottish classical composers—from orchestral tone-poems to art-song settings. The music and composers in this concert may be new to you, but the stories are as old as the hills.

In the tradition of the ballads, the Scottish Borders have continued to produce verse and rhyme over the centuries—from poets like Walter Scott, Lady John Scott, and Hugh MacDiarmid. These have, in turn, been set to music by 20th century Scottish composers Francis George Scott and Ronald Stevenson – both of whom spent the last part of their lives in the Borders.

Join The Bubblyjock Collective for an evening exploring the colourful music that conjures up these stories, old and new, from the Borders.

“a tour de force performance […] which leaves the audience breathless” Edinburgh Music Review