Strathearn Music Society Review – A Night at the Opera
Wed 22nd October 2025
Only a few weeks ago Strathearn Music Society embarked on a remarkable 60th anniversary season of Concerts in Crieff with “The Road to the Isles”, featuring the music of Marjory Kennedy Fraser performed by Colleen Nicoll, David Douglas and Andrew Johnston. As if we needed any more reminding of the wealth of musical talent we have north of the border this Gala Concert just a month later was a showcase for no fewer than four more singers and twelve instrumentalists, all of whom are either from or based in Scotland.
Pause awhile to think about the logistics of the music business and their unlikely parallel with the aviation industry, where all the capital involved is productive only when it’s airborne. Your investment as a musician may have been in a lifetime’s practice and dedication rather than in flying metalware but there’s a similar necessity to maximise its use for the benefit of the public, and this where Classical Musicians Scotland comes in. The first agency of its kind when it was established in 2011 it has grown to manage, coordinate and get the very best out of the finest soloists and ensembles we have, and its star attraction is this amazing line-up of operatic exponents who are totally immersed in their art and have graced stages and orchestras here and elsewhere with the likes of Scottish Opera, Dunedin Consort, Opera Alba, Scozzesi and Opera Bohemia.
Directed by Derek Clark (formerly Head of Music at Scottish Opera) this programme of classics from the operatic repertoire was quite simply a treat from start to finish, with the whole evening masterminded, organised and compèred by Daisy Henderson. Just imagine: you have countless years of your own performing experience during which you’ve amassed invaluable friends and colleagues without number, you know the rare dates when the ones you want are all free, you’ve got their email addresses and, most importantly, you put all this together with your own charisma and mojo to make a totally joyful and uplifting experience for audiences to enjoy….
Thank you, bravo, indeed bravissimo, to all involved. This was a wonderful night and one which will remain in the memory for a long time to come.
