Latest news with #JamieMacDougall
BBC News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Winner of BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician of the Year 2025 announced
Sofía Ros has been named the winner of the esteemed BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician of the Year award. The accordionist triumphed in the grand final held at Glasgow's City Halls on 14 June 2025, performing alongside the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Andrew Gourlay. The event, hosted by broadcaster and musician Jamie MacDougall, featured three talented young finalists: violinist Emma Baird, alto saxophonist Ziheng Huang and accordionist Sofía Ros. Each delivered an exceptional live performance in front of a packed audience and panel of expert judges: Alice Farnham (head judge - Conductor, Founder and Director of Women Conductors, author), Nick Zekulin (Head of music programme, Edinburgh International Festival) and Jennifer Martin (Composer and Music Consultant). Sofía said: 'I moved to Scotland from Spain when I was 13 to study music, and the BBC has been a big source of inspiration for me ever since. Getting the chance to perform with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at City Halls is a dream come true, and I'm so grateful for this opportunity and especially grateful to have won.' Hayley Valentine, Director of BBC Scotland, said: 'Sofía is a worthy winner of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician of the Year award, and we look forward to showcasing more of her performances in the future. The level of entrants was incredibly high, and of course the three finalists were outstanding. We could not be more delighted with the event and indeed this competition, through which we hope more young people in Scotland will engage with classical music.' Heather Kane-Darling, Commissioning Editor at BBC Radio Scotland, said: 'Sofía is a truly deserving recipient of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician of the Year award. We're excited to share more of her exceptional performances with our audiences in the future. The overall standard of entries, particularly among the three finalists, was remarkable and we are thrilled to spotlight these talented musicians through the competition. Our hope is that it will inspire more young people across Scotland to connect with and explore the world of classical music.' Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, said: 'It's been inspiring throughout to have such terrific young musicians demonstrating their technical excellence as well as their passion and creativity. BBC Radio Scotland's Young Classical Musician of the Year is such a valuable showcase for them and also for classical music in Scotland. My warmest congratulations to all involved.' As well as the title of BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician 2025, the prize includes a further performance on BBC Radio Scotland later this year. The Young Classical Musician of the Year competition aims to encourage and highlight the wealth of talent in Scotland's vibrant classical scene. MG Follow for more
Daily Record
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
One-man show marks 155th birthday of Lanarkshire music hall legend Sir Harry Lauder
Tenor and broadcaster Jamie MacDougall is reviving the much-loved Scottish Opera show Lauder this summer. He was Scotland's first successful international entertainer – a South Lanarkshire lad whose unique stage image and performances brought world fame. Now, to mark the 155th birthday of legendary Scottish entertainer Sir Harry Lauder, tenor and broadcaster Jamie MacDougall is reviving the much-loved Scottish Opera show Lauder this summer, in Edinburgh. It will be at Portobello Town Hall on Monday and Tuesday, August 4 and 5, at 7pm (tickets here), and there will also be shows in London and Buxton. Ticket sales from the Edinburgh and London performances will go to the charity Erskine Veterans Charity, for which Jamie is an ambassador. It provides support to Veterans in Scotland, through care homes and a Veterans Village. Sir Harry, who was an international music star and at one point the highest-paid performer in the world, was greatly affected by his son John's death at the Battle of the Somme in 1916. He raised huge sums of money for injured serviceman, donating his music royalties to veterans supported by Erskine Veterans Charity. An exploration into the public and private personas of Sir Harry, Lauder was originally presented by Scottish Opera in 2017 as part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of Theatre Royal Glasgow. This production of the musical play has been adapted by director Kally Lloyd-Jones and Jamie from the original script by comedian, actor and impresario Jimmy Logan. In London, Tom Carradine is music director and pianist, and in Buxton and Edinburgh it is former Scottish Opera head of music, Derek Clark who also curated the featured Harry Lauder songs. Sir Harry premiered his classic song 'I Love a Lassie' onstage at Theatre Royal in 1905 when he appeared in his first pantomime, Aladdin, and in Red Riding Hood in 1910 he performed 'Roamin' in the gloamin'. Featuring these well-known songs as well as 'Keep Right on to the End of the Road' and other familiar favourites, Lauder includes news footage of Sir Harry's funeral and film reel from the trenches. Jamie MacDougall said: 'I am thrilled to be bringing this tribute to Sir Harry Lauder to audiences in London, Buxton International Festival and Edinburgh for the first time. I was 10 when I was taken twice to see Jimmy Logan in Lauder at the King's Theatre Glasgow. That was the start of my life-long association with these wonderful songs and Sir Harry, an entertainer who was the first truly global star. I am honoured to be an Ambassador for Erskine, and hope audiences can come along to see this special show and raise money for an incredible charity.' Jimmy Logan wrote and starred in Lauder which he performed for the first time in 1976 in Edinburgh, before it toured around the world. It was also broadcast on television and Logan revived the show in 2000 for the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Scottish Opera extends thanks to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's Archives & Collections, custodians of the Jimmy Logan Archive including the Lauder scripts and scores. Jamie will also take the one-man show to London's Hoxton Hall on June 22, and Buxton International Festival on July 17.
Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Trial by Jury/A Matter of Misconduct review — modern farce meets G&S
New operas are rare enough, new operettas rarer still. So Scottish Opera deserves credit not only for putting operetta at the centre of its summer season, but also for commissioning one to sit alongside a classic of the genre. A Matter of Misconduct, at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow, is set in the Downing Street press room, and centres on a hapless politician in a party leadership election. Where on earth could it have found its inspiration? Emma Jenkins's libretto channels Armando Iannucci's The Thick of It in its unflinching exposé of political error and human frailty. It even has a foul-mouthed Scot as a spin doctor, played gamely by Jamie MacDougall. Jenkins's language zings along — you have to take your hat off
