1st concert of our 75th Anniversary Season.

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, as they say.

The Bubblyjock Collective was formed in 2023 by 3 friends studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) and celebrates Scotland’s classical and contemporary music. It took its name from a comic-dramatic poem by Hugh MacDiarmid describing the absurd appearance and call of the turkey, which was set by Ronald Stevenson in 1966.

The group consists of Neil Sutcliffe, a classical accordionist, teacher and Archive Manager at the Scottish Music Centre, Rosie Lavery an opera singer, recitalist and conductor and Anna Michels, a pianist and teacher at both St Mary’s Music School and the RCS. Anna is returning to Kelso after a hugely successful appearance at KMS several years ago.

Always collaborative and innovative, they have willingly taken up the challenge of producing an unique programme for KMS, based round the theme of Border Ballads.

£18. Students £5. Under 18s Free. All 7 concerts for £90