A new season of Music on the Mezzanine

With spring just around the corner and our hopes for better times, our Music on the Mezzanine spring season is also, just around the corner and with a great selection of music to entertain us, the better times are here!

From 10 February, we’ll be hosting a variety of musicians every fortnight, right through till 15 June.

We’ve ten dates for your diary and ten quite different performances.

Saturday 10 February at 1pm – Zijuan Yu, Chinese flautist

At the start of Chinese New Year. Zijuan Yu, Chinese flautist will introduce us to the historic opera form, Kunqu, the oldest extant opera in China and recognised by UNESCO on their List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In performances of this form of opera, one of the featured instruments in the accompanying orchestra is the side blown, bamboo flute, on which Zijun Yu will lead us through a programme of music from these beautiful operas, music which is wonderfully described as shuimodio (water-polished music).
Seating is limited for this first event so booking via Ticketsource is essential to guarantee your place.

Saturday 24 February at 1pm – Eilidh Paterson, Calum Wight and Steph Humphreys

Eilidh Paterson, Calum Wight and Steph Humphreys respectively, violin, guitar and clarsach, will join us to play a programme of traditional and modern Scottish Folk Music. This day will be the end of a week of Gaelic events across the library service and Eilidh, Calum and Steph will be adding some Gaelic tunes to their programme.

Saturday 9 March at 1pm – Martina Petrova

Singer and pianist, Martina Petrova will lead us through a  programme of jazz favourites.

Saturday 23 March at 1pm – The Gal Trio

The Gal Trio members, Emma Cairns on violin, Elinor Roderick on violin, and Serenna Maclellan on flute, initilally formed themselves in this trio to perform the Hayton Suite by Hans Gal. They will be sharing their passion for all genres of music from classical to folk.

Saturday 6 April at 1pm – Vinodh Jayakrishnan

In one of his first public performances, Vinodh Jayakrishnan will introduce a programme of South Indian classical music. Vinodh will be performing with his small company of musicians.

Saturday 20 April at 1pm – Dan Abrahams

Dan Abrahams

Dan Abrahams is a composer, guitarist and double bassist. He regularly performs with Scottish folk duo Dowally, old-time band, the Wayward Janes and the soul/R&B group, the Foo Birds.

Saturday 4 May at 1pm – Tayus

Tayus

If ambient, post-rock is your choice, Tayus will be joining us in May. If you are new to post-rock or ambient music, think French Romantics like Ravel, Debussy, Satie et al, meets American minimalists like Reich, Glass, Riley, then play the music through a synth and/or on an electric guitar. This is just this writer’s opinion, you might hear it differently, come along and see!

Saturday 18 May at 1pm – Django’s Swing

Django’s Swing

Django’s Swing evoke the jazz clubs of the 1930s in Paris, recreating the exuberant sound of Django Reinhardt and his gypsy swing sound.

Saturday 1 June at 1pm – The Accidentals

The Accidentals have been playing together since 2003. Their all encompassing programmes of classical guitar music dips travels through time like Dr Who, if he was a classical guitarist not a Time Lord.

The Accidentals

Saturday 15 June at 1pm – Edinburgh Recorder Ensemble

For our last concert of the season, we welcome the Edinburgh Recorder Ensemble. They’ll be playing music, ancient and modern on the full recorder family, from the teeny tiny sopranino to the giant contrabass recorder.

This is our third season of Music on the Mezzanine. The performers you will see during this season and in the previous year have given of their time and their talent for free. Performers in Edinburgh find it hard to locate venues which are affordable. The cost of venue, the cost of rehearsal rooms and the cost of publicising an event can price some groups out of performing in public and the sharing of their art. In providing a small rehearsal room and a safe, secure, warm, welcoming performance space – both free of charge – we hope we will enable some performers who do not normally perform in public to consider a step on stage. Central Library’s music studio can house a small group of about 5 to 6 musicians to play or rehearse together. The room is home to our digital drum kit and second digital piano. We also have a lovely collection of musical instruments to borrow.

We’re very excited to welcome some old friends and some new friends to the Mezzanine to share their music with you. Come along, if you can for the first session on 10 February and then every second Saturday, at 1pm on the Mezzanine. Pour yourself a cup of tea and sit back and enjoy, what we think will be ten very interesting, enjoyable, musical events.

All events are now bookable online via Ticketsource or just come along on the day!

We are now off to plan the autumn season! If there is someone you have particularly enjoyed let us know and we will try and have them back. If you wish to join us on the Mezzanine to play, or if you know a group or a musician looking for somewhere to play, contact me, Douglas Wright, or anyone in the Music Library and leave your contact details.

Get in touch at
musiclibrary@edinburgh.gov.uk
or phone 0131 242 8050.

Music on the Mezzanine is back!

We have started our second full Music on the Mezzanine season! Once a fortnight at 1pm on Saturday afternoons, we welcome a varied, interesting, and exciting set of performers, bringing us a series of concerts which will take us all the way to Christmas.

We will say hello to the return of our old friends “After the Rain” and we welcome new friends, performers who will hopefully become regulars with us on the Mezzanine over the coming years. As at our previous season and our events, we will have tea and coffee, a warm and welcoming space to sit, and an hour or so of great entertainment.

Make Music on the Mezzanine part of your Saturday, whether your day starts with a lunchtime concert and then on to something else like a film or a museum trip or a football game, start your day with us on the Mezzanine. Or maybe your Saturday morning of hard shopping finishes with a sit down, a coffee, a comfy seat and some music – Music on the Mezzanine is where to finish up!
Central Library’s Reference Library and Edinburgh and Scottish Collection are ideal places to study but take a break from the books and spend your break on the Mezzanine relaxing with some music.
If you are meeting friends, meet them here.
If you are going for a walk, start from the library.
Whatever shape your Saturday takes, make Music on the Mezzanine a part of it.

Our Mezzanine is fast becoming a hub for live music, cinema, talks, artists workshops and author events. All our events are listed and bookable on Eventbrite or by phoning us on 0131 242 8050.

The autumn season of Music on the Mezzanine Autumn features:

Philip Hutton on Saturday 16 September 2023

Philip Hutton and Brian Davidson

Poet Philip Hutton writes and performs poems about music, or which lend themselves to being performed with music or with a piano accompaniment. Philip with pianist and accompanist Brian Davidson, have played their collaborative programmes at the Edinburgh Society of Musicians, Peebles Arts Festival and DunsPlayFest. 

After the Rain on Saturday 30 September 2023          

After the Rain met at night classes and played their first gig at the original Forrest Road Café. Regular visitors to the Mezzanine, After the Rain, bring another selection of jazz favourites to relax and unwind to.

Gael Force Winds on Saturday 14 October 2023

Gael Force Wind comprises 5 saxophones and one clarinet.  GFW offer a diverse programme of recognisable tunes and perform in support of charities and community events for free.

Bristo Community Concert Band on Saturday 28 October 2023

From the best in movies, to swing and big band, via some popular surprises – you can expect to enjoy some fantastic music from Bristo Community Concert Band. BCCB are a non-auditioning concert band of 40 regular players band based in Edinburgh, who want to encourage as many people as possible to enjoy playing music as much as we do. Their players are all about the music, as well as having  a great time as they learn from each other. They regularly play concerts and at events around the city each year.

U3A Uke Band on Saturday 11 November 2023                                  

Members of the Third Age University are mostly retired or working part-time. They have been playing together for 7 years and when some started they had very little musical experience. They love to play and sing, performing regularly at care homes, markets, festivals and of course, Make Music Day in Central Library.

Jacob Olah on Saturday 25 November 2023

Baritone Jacob Olah (30) from Shrewsbury, Shropshire sings as part of the St Mary’s Cathedral Choir. The recital will consist of pieces from the English, German and Italian language repertoire spanning from the 19th and 20th Century.       

Simmerdim on Saturday 9 December 2023

Simmerdim a cappella trio

Simmerdim is an Edinburgh-based a cappella trio; named after the long summer twilight in the far North of Scotland, when the sun briefly dips below the horizon and it is never truly dark.
They sing mostly original arrangements of an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary songs and perform them at festivals, in cafes, at book launches and house concerts.

Little Big Horns on Saturday 23 December 2023  

Little Big Horns is a saxophone quartet, perhaps, unusually made up of 5 members (plus guests on occasion) who bring a depth of musical talent and experience with them. Little Big Horns are based in Edinburgh and are a group who enjoy each other’s company and playing a wide range of music.  From jazz to the chart swinging past classical and TV/film on the way, variety (and fun) are the only constants.  

Pick up a Music on the Mezzanine programme at Central Library or give us a phone on 0131 242 8050, or book your ticket online at Eventbrite or simply drop-in on the day..

If our program inspires you to take up an instrument or restart your piano lessons, we can help you. The Music Library has two digital pianos and a drum kit you can book to practice on in our music studio. If you need sheet music or tutor books we have those as well. We also have instruments you can borrow to take home, such as guitars, violins, clarinets, ukuleles and percussion sets.

Music on the Mezzanine

How do you like to spend your Saturday lunchtime?

Well, if you’re anywhere near Central Library at around 1pm, every second Saturday from now until June, come in and come down to the Mezzanine where we will be hosting live music sessions.

The Accidentals guitar group

Clarsach player, Steph Humphreys

This year, so far, we have hosted two events, The Accidentals and clarsach player, Steph Humphreys.

The Accidentals are a local classical guitar group. Their programme was chosen from their repertoire of renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and 20th century music as well as a selection of Spanish and Latin American music. Steph Humphreys enjoys playing a variety of styles on her clarsach, from the very traditional to the more modern. This was reflected in her programming. Steph choose to feature three works by her teacher and fellow clarsach player, Savourna Stevenson.

Martina Petrova, the Singing Pianist

This coming Saturday, 18 March, we welcome singer and pianist, Martina Petrova. Bulgarian born Martina is in her third year at Edinburgh University, where she studies jazz piano and sings with the Edinburgh University Jazz Orchestra.

On the subsequent weeks we have programmes from guitarist Erin McGarry, cellist Anoukia Nistor, both students at Edinburgh University. After that we have a return visit from After The Rain, augmented by some guest instrumentalists for the afternoon. After The Rain’s guitarists appear two weeks later as the Duo Django’s Swing, with a programme of music inspired by the swing stylings of Django Reinhardt and Paris in the 1930s. For the moment, the last of the lunchtime music events is a quick return of Steven Morrison and a programme of lighter classics for the guitar.

All of this is not to mention the other wonderful music events we have hosted this year, Steven Morrison gave a concert featuring three master works for guitar by Fernando Sor, Thea Musgrave, and a lute suite by J. S. Bach. We also had a first visit of the wonderful Tinderbox Orchestra, who played a programme of music penned by members of the orchestra, then hosted a very warm and friendly open mic session.

On the 21 June we will again be celebrating Make Music Day. All day in the Central Library and our libraries round the city there will be live music, with choirs and chorales, singers and soloists, folk groups and just folks enjoying some live music.

If you wish to join us on Make Music Day either by yourself or with your group or if you’d like to put together a programme of music for one of our Music on the Mezzanine events, or you’re just interested in coming along to watch, please contact us at the Music Library in Central Library on George IV Bridge.

We also have a musical instruments to borrow in libraries all across the city, so if watching one of our events has got you thinking about taking to the trombone, or made you think about finding a fiddle, come in and see us in the Music Library!  

central.music.library@edinburgh.gov.uk
0131 242 8050
Central Library
George IV Bridge
Edinburgh
EH1 1EH