Award-winning music festival saved after funding re-think
The future of one of Scotland’s leading classical music events has been secured for at least two years after a rethink from Creative Scotland over whether it should be funded.
Organisers of the Lammermuir Festival, in East Lothian, mounted a campaign to save the event after a string of rejections from the Scottish Government’s arts agency. They had warned that its future was under threat after they had to raid their reserves to ensure the 2023 festival went ahead after losing almost a quarter of its planned budget less than a month before the event was due to get underway in September.
However the festival has now secured a two-year commitment worth £135,000 from Creative Scotland, which had been urged to rethink its stance by some of the country’s leading musical figures and organisations.
It will allow the festival to put on a full 12-day programme, with other crucial backing secured from private individuals, trusts and foundations in recent months.
The festival, which provides work for around 350 musicians every September, has been valued at around £750,000 for the economy and was previously honoured as the UK’s best festival or concert series by the Royal Philharmonic Society.
However it was turned down three times in the space of 40 weeks by Creative Scotland, which was accused of “destabilising” the festival and undermining its ability to plan ahead for this year and beyond.
Backers of the campaign included violinist Nicola Benedetti, and composer and conductor James MacMillan.