Man dies in city park – Fringe by the Sea starts today! – Community Council meetings tonight – Evelyn Glennie tickets – Street Soccer

 

A 27 year-old is reported to have died in Balgreen Park at the weekend. The Edinburgh Evening News has full details and Lothian and Borders Police are seeking help from two people  who went to his aid, but did not speak to the police before leaving.

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Fringe by the Sea runs in North Berwick. Not that this should make it difficult for you. There are plenty of transport options available to get to and from the alternative event with late trains running back into Edinburgh.

Once again Fringe by the Sea in North Berwick will be trailblazing this August. Proudly boasting the only Spiegeltent to feature in the whole Edinburgh Festival in 2009, this remarkable little jewel of an event – now in its fifth year – will be the only place you can find TWO Spiegeltents during the August mayhem that is ‘festival time’.

This afternoon between 3 & 5 you can watch (and perhaps join in) the Samba on the High Street performed by Samba Commotion an all-women band from Edinburgh.

Not content with a rapid growth through the various sizes to the ‘daddy of them all’ last year, [the fantastic 600-seater direct from the Classens family in Belgium – now in the 7th generation of Spiegeltent makers and suppliers], in a few weeks time the harbour area in North Berwick will be bulging with wood, mirrors and canvas as it is joined by a second mere 350-seater little brother.

 

With the entire event offering some 70 performances over the seven days from 6th-12thAugust, there needed to be more capacity for the audience of over 7,000 to fully enjoy the unique atmosphere and varied entertainment on offer. There will be six performance spaces throughout the town, with the harbour ‘hub’ involving both tents plus the Scottish Seabird Centre for formal as well as informal events.

Check out the website www.fringebythesea.com or pick up a programme brochure to see the full details of what is on offer.

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The West End Community Council meets tonight at  7.30pm at Ashfield, 61 Melville Street, Edinburgh. The New Town and Broughton Community Council meets this evening at Broughton St Mary’s Church at 7.30 pm. We understand that Transport Convenor Councillor Lesley Hinds is attending this meeting to try and listen to some of the local residents’ worries over increased traffic on New Town streets. THe meeting is billed as  a single issue meeting about York Place Tramworks. If that concerns you then either try to make it along or follow our liveblog of the event.

 

We took our own little mini video the other week of traffic in Abercromby Place one evening at about 5, showing 62 vehicles passing along the street in 2 minutes 39 seconds. It seems clear that traffic is heavier, but what is perhaps worse is the fact that the traffic seems to be moving more quickly along Heriot Row to Broughton Street, only stopping to allow many cars to do U-turns on Albany Street and Heriot Row to get round the no left or right turn signs. Are we heading for serious incidents on our city streets as tempers fray? Should we have lower speed limits to deal with the traffic? The New Town CC meeting may discuss this and more.

Gorgie/Dalry Community Council also meet tonight at 7.00pm at Church Hall of  St. Martin’s Church, 232 Dalry Rd 

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Dame Evelyn Glennie – tickets on sale today for her October show in Edinburgh which will take place on Thursday 11 October 2012, 7.30pm at the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh

Fresh from drumming for the Queen at last week’s Olympic Games opening ceremony, Dame Evelyn Glennie has another royal appointment, this time performing in the shadow of Catherine the Great at the National Museum of Scotland this autumn.

Tickets go on sale today for her first Edinburgh performance in Edinburgh since 2007. Glennie will join forces with Russian visual artist Maria Rud, cellist Philip Sheppard and vocal consort Canty for a spectacular AniMotion performance in the Museum’s Grand Gallery, which promises to bring together music and painting, and Scotland and Russia.

The performance will feature the world premiere of music composed by Glennie and Sheppard especially for the show.

The programme reflects the creative spirit of Catherine’s court and to the deep symbiosis between art and music in Russian culture, incorporating early Russian sacred music and work by Bartiyansky who composed for Catherine herself, as well as contemporary pieces. The audience will be free to move around and enjoy the spectacle from different positions within the Grand Gallery’s spectacular architecture creating a night that will be utterly unforgettable.

AniMotion is a concept developed by acclaimed Russian artist Maria Rud over the last two years in collaboration with a host of musicians across a range of genres. While the musicians perform, Maria paints a narrative piece on a lightbox, which is projected onto a large screen in real time for the audience to behold. Collaborators thus far include folk artist Nuala Kennedy, punk icon Fay Fife and downtempo DJ Dolphinboy. Venues have ranged from abandoned office blocks to St. Giles Cathedral. The National Museum of Scotland AniMotion will be the first in a series of collaborations between Maria and Evelyn.

Dame Evelyn Glennie said:

“The AniMotion project is very exciting and pushes the boundaries of all the participants, including myself. Our aim is to bring art and music together in an extremely new and unique way, almost theatrical, in that the players are all artists of notoriety in their own right, the auditorium teeming with art works and eclectic musical instruments. To premiere this new work in the amazing setting of the Grand Gallery of the National Museum of Scotland will be a thrilling experience for us and, we trust, for the audience.”

Maria Rud said:

“The visual works reveal themselves to me. They are not the results of deliberation. With AniMotion, a visual narrative comes in response to a particular composition. The imagery is provoked by the music but is not intended to illustrate it. The relation between image and sound is one of resonant co-existence, of chemistry across the senses, a subtle formula that gives audiences the freedom to become engrossed in the totality of the performance without feeling that there is something to ‘get’. I am looking forward very much to performing in the Museum, with Evelyn, Philip and Canty, and the creative spirit of the court of Catherine the Great.”

Stephen Allen, Head of Learning and Programmes at National Museums Scotland, said:

“We are very excited to be hosting this fabulous event. The National Museum of Scotland and its fantastic collections and setting inspire creativity in all its forms. This performance, combining music, visual art and the inspiration of our Catherine the Great exhibition promises to be a fantastic expression of that, and a truly memorable occasion for all who attend.”

The event is supported by Balfour and Manson LLP and Amati Global Investors Ltd, with additional funding from Arts & Business Scotland (A&BS), the national charity dedicated to encouraging new and sustainable arts and business relationships.

The event will take place at the National Museum of Scotland on Thursday 11 October 2012 at 19.30 (ends 21.30). Tickets are £18 (£16 concessions and Museum members).

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Lothian and Borders Police have been working in partnership with Street Soccer (Scotland) to develop a youth diversionary programme to be run throughout the summer holidays in a bid to engage with local youths.

Event details – attendance is free!
Venue Dates Times
Mayfield Leisure Centre Every Friday, from 6 Jul – 17 Aug 5.30pm – 8.30pm
Cowden Park, Dalkeith Every Saturday, from 7 Jul – 18 Aug 6.30pm – 9.30pm

 

Street Soccer (Scotland) is a non-profit social enterprise that delivers a range of football related services, inspired by personal experience of how sport can create real positive change, whilst developing individuals into making positive choices in their lives.  Young people will be provided with an opportunity to meet new people, improve their physical and mental health and increase their confidence.

 

Youth Community Officers, PC Kathryn Johnstone and PC Lynne Cochrane have been working with David Duke, CEO Street Soccer (Scotland) to organise this summer initiative, which will take place at the following locations in order to encourage a wide range of young people to attend.

Street workers and local youth groups as well as members from Lothian and Borders Community Policing Team will all be involved to provide support and encouragement.

 

The programme is free and participants can attend as many sessions as they want in either location.  Males and females are both welcome between the ages of 12 – 18 years.

 

The sessions will include

 

  • Fun Games
  • Skills sessions
  • Careers Advice
  • Cup Tournaments and Prizes
Contact EDIVYCODalkeithNewbattle@lbp.pnn.police.uk for further details.

 

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.