The Edinburgh Reporter January 2021

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18WHAT'S ONThere is a new portrait of singerHorse McDonald hanging in theheart of the Scottish NationalPortrait Gallery (although you willhave to take our word for it untilyou can access the gallery possiblyafter the middle of the month).This is an oil painting by artistRoxana Halls. As part of theprocess of sitting for the portraitHorse sang "Careful" live and acapella for the artist at her Londonstudio. It resulted in a portraitwhich the artist says depicts a mixof all the live moments, mannerismsand movements which shewitnessed while Horse performed,rather than one specific pose.Horse McDonald, born inNewport-on-Tay in Fife, has beenwriting and performing for over 30The Edinburgh ReporterPortrait gallery mounts Horse paintingyears, during which time she hasbuilt up a reputation as an iconicand unique singer-songwriter.She is one of Scotland’s mostcelebrated performers and hasreleased nine albums. Q magazinedescribed her as owning "one ofthe finest voices of modern times,soul and intelligence combined".She has opened for and touredwith international artists includingTina Turner, BB King, Bryan Ferryand Burt Bacharach.Horse said: "I was incredibly flatteredand grateful to have my portraitpainted by Roxana. We spenta lot of time talking and sharingour experiences, finding so muchin common in our work and lives.The journey which brought us togetherand then, in turn, the fatesthat continued for the portrait tothen be acquired for the SNPG, isnothing short of magical.“I was both shocked and thrilledwhen I saw the painting becausenot only has it captured theenergy and the passion of the ‘me’I feel inside, but it is very much aRoxana Halls' painting. I cannotfind the words to express my pride,honour and privilege to be on displayamongst our nation’s peersand generations of dignitaries."This is something I could never,ever have envisaged. I am mosthumbled at the thought of childrenseeing my portrait in such a settingand finding inspiration andcourage from it.”Janey's star Burnsbright at Big SupperJaney Godley has kept us allgoing in 2020 with her comedytake off videos of the press callsmainly by the First Minister, butalso occasionally strayingacross the border.Now she will performthe MC duties at thedigital Big Burns Supper,welcoming KT Tunstall,Donovan, Tide Lines,Dougie Maclean,Robert Softly Gale,Skerryvore and AmyConachan.This is promising to be the largestgathering to honour RabbieBurns, and is the tenth outing forGodley's Burns Night special.There will be haggis involvedin the form of Le Haggis! theDumfries-born Celtic cabaret witha specially curated set of artisticcollaborations from Le Haggisacts past and present.Pupils from primary schools willtake part in a massive communitysingalong of Auld Lang Syne in aversion first arranged by RobertShields in 2011 when the first BigBurns Supper was held.Janey Godley, said: ‘I amsuper excited to do this asit’s the first time I can doa Burns do in my barefeet beside a window.’KT Tunstall, said:“The 2019 Big BurnsSupper was easily oneof my top Burns Nightcelebrations ever! Theenergy in the spiegeltent that nightwas totally electric and althoughfor now we can’t party again inperson,I’m so looking forward tojoining the digital celebrations in2021 to help mark the festival’s10th anniversary with a very specialperformance from yours trulyjust for the occasion.”FREE on 25 January, 7.00pm to8.15pm on Facebook and You-Tube. bigburnssupper.comSinger Horse McDonald painted by Roxana HallsChildren's 2021 festival is going aheadEdinburgh International Children’sFestival confirmed that itwill definitely go ahead in 2021.Imaginate, the organisationwhich produces the successfulEdinburgh International Children’sFestival, have confirmed that theyare planning an exciting festivalthis year, and that it will go aheadin one form or another from 25May – 6 June.They will also continue to runtheir year-round schools programmeand creative developmentfor artists.As usual, the Festival will showcasetheatre and dance createdespecially for children and youngpeople.With Covid-19 restrictions likelyto be still in place, the Festival’sprogramme will focus primarilyon Scottish and UK productions,with a combination of outdoor andsmaller capacity in-venue performances.Families will also be able to enjoya series of pop-up performancesthroughout the city over the firstand final weekend of the Festival.Extra measures will be put in placeto ensure everyone’s safety andthere will also be digital events onoffer for those who would ratherstay at home.The decision was made to confirmthe programme now in orderto give the selected artists andcompanies some assurance aboutthe future. Freelancers have beenhit particularly hard by Covid andImaginate’s support is a welcomeboost.The pandemic has also hada huge impact on children andyoung people who have had no accessto live performances duringthis period.As part of the Festival programme,Imaginate are commissioning16 new works which willinvolve over 100 freelancers basedin Scotland and making a commitmentto pay them whether theirperformance is allowed to happenor not.However, digital versions of manyof the events are being developedto limit the risk of cancelling them.Festival Director Noel Jordansaid: “Our primary goal is to makesure our young audiences have accessto high quality performancesin May."It would have been tempting towait to confirm the programmeuntil we had more certainty aboutrestrictions but we feel it is importantto make a commitment to theartists and companies who rely onus to platform their work."Imaginate’s mission is to helpdevelop and promote new theatreand dance for young people andwe are delighted to be able tosupport artists based in Scotlandto create new work for the Festivaland to showcase them in May."Ultimately, if restrictions preventus presenting everything we haveplanned, we feel it will have been aworthwhile investment and we areconfident that this work can stillbe presented in the future, at ourFestival or elsewhere.”www.imaginate.org.ukFree entertainment on Burns NightLuck out on LuckenboothOne of the success stories ofour virtual lives in 2020 was theEdinburgh International Book Festival(EIBF) which barely skipped apage before launching its series ofevents online.On Friday 15 January at 7pm theEIBF will live stream a brand newevent with authors Jenni Faganand Denise Mina, to celebrate thelaunch of Fagan's ground-breakingnew novel Luckenbooth. The eventis free – there’s no need to book.Once in a while, a novel arrivesthat changes the way wesee and experience a place thatwe think we already know sowell. Edinburgh is a city brimmingwith stories - almost everybuilding whispers history andholds secrets, stashed away inthe stonework. And Jenni Fagan’sspectacular third novel Luckenboothtakes us to the heart of thecity and its people.Join the critically acclaimedEdinburgh-based author of ThePanopticon and The SunlightPilgrims in her very first eventabout her new book, alongsideanother of our favourite authors,the Glaswegian crime writer andplaywright Denise Mina. Togetherthey dive into the depths of theremarkable Luckenbooth, a dazzlingwork of history and ambitionthat marks a major moment in theliterary life of Edinburgh. Enjoyan hour of enlightening entertainment,broadcast live from the EIBFstudio in Edinburgh.Luckenbooth spans nearly a centuryin the tenement at 10 LuckenboothClose. It begins in 1910 asthe devil’s daughter rows a coffinto the shores of Leith, sold by herfather to a rich couple to have theirchild. The tragic events that followlead to a curse that will plague thelives of the eclectic collection oftenement residents. In her noveltold over nine decades and upand down nine floors, Fagan giftsreaders lessons of history as thebuilding and its inhabitants bearwitness to the changing worldoutside the tenement walls.www.edbookfest.co.uk
@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk WHAT'S ON 19Explore Our Town Stories onlineOur Town Stories is the interactivewebsite from EdinburghLibraries which you can use toexplore Edinburgh’s history.It is a fantastic resource foreducation, researchers and anyoneinterested in discovering a littlemore about the history of ourbeautiful city in a fun and engagingway.The website uses images andhistorical maps from EdinburghCentral Library’s heritage collectionsto tell bitesize stories aboutall aspects of Edinburgh from1700. The site also includes storycontributions from some partnerAlnwickhill Filter Beds - an Our Town Storyorganisations such as CorstorphineTrust, Edinburgh City Archives,Edinburgh Zoo, Lothian andBorders Fire and Rescue Serviceand UNESCO City of Literature.The website was redesignedduring the summer and you cannow enjoy the site on all devices -computer, tablet or mobile phone.Audio and video content, more historicalmaps and a handy searchfunction have also been added.The user-friendly map-basedinterface and timeline have beenretained along with the ever-popularThen & Now images.Library staff are steadily addingmore stories so that there issomething new to discover eachtime you visit. Most recent newstories include the story of WilliamCreech, who is perhaps littleknown today, but was a significantmember of Edinburgh societyduring the Enlightenment andresponsible for publishing RobertBurns’ poems, the story of how aclean and safe water supply wasbrought to Liberton, and the storyof Portobello, its history, landmarkbuildings and notable formerresidents.www.ourtownstories.co.ukArusha launchvirtual shopArusha Gallery has opened anonline store with a curated selectionof publications, limited editionprints and art objects.This is another step in theArusha timeline adding to theprogramme of events and exhibitions.Art lovers can buy limitededition and exclusive items from arange of the artists represented bythe gallery as well as a number ofcontemporary makers and designers.The online space allows thegallery to show much more thanthey are able to in the physical galleryon Dundas Street.They will rotate the featuredartists and the opening exhibitionincludes a Charlotte Keates Monographwhich is a way of introducingthe artist and her work. Therewill be a solo exhibition of Keates’work in 2021.Agnieszka Prendota, CreativeDirector at Arusha Gallery, said:“We are delighted to announcethe launch of the Arusha Galleryonline store and hope thatour customers and clients enjoybrowsing through it as much aswe enjoyed curating it. Home to aneclectic mix of publications, objetd’art and limited edition prints, thestore is not simply an extension ofthe gallery proper, but rather a newplatform from which we can shinea spotlight on a further selectionof makers, artists and art forms.”The Queen'sHall in 2021At the Queen’s Hall the lightshave been a little less bright formonths now, but the team arelooking forward to welcomingsome big names in 2021, such asPeat and Diesel, Suggs, PictishTrail and The Robert Cray Band.Horse will bring her "Best inShow" to the hall in June and DrJohn Cooper Clarke plans to bethere on 30 May. And there couldbe concerts by Steve Harley andCockney Rebel, Leo Sayer andWishbone Ash for those of you ofa certain vintage.The Scottish Chamber Orchestrahave been filming in the hall toproduce their series of concertswhich you can view on their You-Tube or Facebook channels.Proving that they are more thanjust a music venue it will host thepostponed Question Time styledebate on Scotland’s future on6 April with Paul Kavanagh, akaWee Ginger Dug, along with RobinMcAlpine, former MSP Colin Fox,and former MP Michelle Thomson.There is the usual caveat on theQueen’s Hall website that some ofthe shows planned for early on inthe year may not take place, butthey are very hopeful of a return tobusiness of some kind after that.Meantime support the venuewith any advance purchases oftickets you can manage.queenshall.netOnly£22.50per monthWINTERGOLFMEMBERSHIPIt pays to play with us.• With only one round a month, themembership pays for itself• Up to 6 courses to play, withminimal winter greens and no mats• Priority booking for membersJoin online today.edinburghleisure.co.ukTerms and conditions applyRegistered Scottish Charity No: SC027450
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The Edinburgh Reporter January 2021

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