Arran International Festival
Music • People • Place
Belonging Without Borders
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17–23 August 2026
A word from Richard
It’s a great pleasure to welcome you to the third Arran International Festival - AIF2026. I invite you to explore this year’s programme, where you’ll find inspiring international guests alongside exceptional local artists. Together, they present a variety of concerts and events, celebrating music, storytelling, and new work from across Europe and beyond - and all set in the midst of the outstanding natural beauty of the Isle of Arran. This year there’s a gentle thread running through the festival: Belonging Without Borders. Our visiting musicians arrive with their own heritage, languages and traditions. When they come together with the island, its community and fellow artists, music is made, stories are shared, inspiration is sparked and, we hope, new friendships are formed. Come and join our celebration of music, creativity and human connection! It would be terrific to see you on Arran this August. Whoever you are and wherever you hail from, you can be sure of a warm welcome! AIF2026 - rooted in community, outward-looking in spirit.
Richard Morrison
Artistic Director
A word from Electra
I'm so excited to be returning as Composer-in-Residence to the AIF in 2026. This promises to be our most ambitious programme so far! The festival this year will see the development of our biggest community project to date, bringing together school children with diverse communities from across the island and further afield to compose a brand new piece of music. This project will culminate in a massed pre-concert performance given by the young people, local musicians, and visiting musicians. I will also be composing a new piece for internationally acclaimed violinist Magdalena Filipczak. The new piece will bring together influences from Scottish, Greek and Polish folk music, drawing on my own Scottish/Greek background and Magda's Polish heritage and inspired by the festival's themes of connection across borders. Come along and join us at the AIF2026 for this celebration of community and the connective power of music in an inspiring series of island-wide events - wherever you come from and whoever you are, you'll receive a warm welcome!
Electra Perivolaris
Composer-in-Residence
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Monday, 17th August 2026
Richard Morrison & Iain Clarke
Songs of Love and Memory
The Dougarie Boathouse | 7.30pm
Tickets £20/U18 FREE
Join Richard and Iain in the unique and intimate setting of Dougarie Boathouse for an evening of beautiful music and song. The programme ranges from German Lied and English song to French mélodie, Scots song and favourites from the American Songbook, touching on themes of love, remembrance and belonging. The evening will also feature the first performance of a new song written for Richard and Iain by Electra Perivolaris.
Works including: Finzi Let us garlands bring, Brahms Vier ernste Gesänge, Ravel Don Quichotte à Dulcinée and Debussy Clair de lune.
Baritone Richard Morrison is known for the warmth and lyricism of his voice and the breadth of his work across opera, operetta and song, with appearances at major European venues including the Berliner Philharmonie, the Royal Albert Hall and the Wigmore Hall. He has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Naxos and Warner Classics, and has broadcast widely for BBC television and radio and Classic FM, both as a singer and as a presenter.
Pianist Iain Clarke, originally from the Isle of Arran, works across the UK and internationally as a collaborative and orchestral pianist. He performs regularly with leading orchestras including the Philharmonia, London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and is a sought-after accompanist and chamber musician. A double graduate of the Royal College of Music, he held an accompanist fellowship there from 2022 to 2024 and continues to work with major conservatoires and international artists.
Tuesday, 18th August 2026
A guest talk by Hamish Husband
Tales of the Tartan Army
Arran Heritage Museum - Tuesday Talk | 1.30pm
Fresh from the World Cup, Hamish Husband, official spokesperson for the West of Scotland Tartan Army, joins us for a relaxed and good-humoured look at Scotland’s travelling football supporters. Drawing on a wealth of experience and stories from the road, Hamish captures the spirit, camaraderie and character of the Tartan Army, who play a defining role in modern Scottish culture.
Tuesday, 18th August 2026
Magdalena Filipczak & Agnieszka Kozło
Inspired by Song and Dance
The Dougarie Boathouse | 7.30pm
Tickets £20/U18 FREE
Works include:
Benjamin Britten — Waltz from Suite, Op. 6
Franz Schubert — Fantasia in C major for violin and piano, D. 934, Op. posth. 159
Karol Szymanowski — Peasant Dance from the ballet Harnasie (arr. Paweł Kochański)
Henryk Wieniawski — Fantasia on Themes from Gounod’s Faust, Op. 20
Electra Perivolaris — new work (world premiere)
At AIF2026, Magdalena Filipczak is joined by pianist Agnieszka Kozło in Inspired by Song and Dance, a programme that brings together classical repertoire with music rooted in her Polish heritage. The concert will also feature the world premiere of a new work by AIF Composer-in-Residence Electra Perivolaris, written especially for this collaboration.
Violinist Magdalena Filipczak joins us with an international reputation for performances of exceptional range and musical intelligence. She appears worldwide as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician, with engagements at major concert halls across Europe and the Americas, including Wigmore Hall and the Concertgebouw. A prize-winner at numerous international competitions, her honours include First Prize at the United States International Concerto Competition and the Gold Prize at the Manhattan International Music Competition.
Pianist Agnieszka Kozło is an accomplished chamber musician and collaborative artist, known for her depth of musical partnership. A graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, she has performed widely across Europe and worked closely with leading instrumentalists, and has been recognised with awards as a chamber musician and competition pianist.
Magdalena’s debut album Essence of Violin was described by The Strad as “glittering… beguiling… hauntingly atmospheric,” and her work includes recordings and broadcasts for BBC Radio 3, Deutsche Grammophon, film, and television. She is also deeply committed to collaboration with living composers and new music, and performs on historic instruments supported by Beare’s International Violin Society.
Wednesday, 19th August 2026
Professor Dr. Sigrid Rieuwerts from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Heimat - stories of home and beyond
The Kinloch Hotel | 1pm
Free entry
We are delighted that Sigrid returns to the AIF for the third year to give another fascinating talk, this time reflecting on Heimat - the meaning of home, identity and belonging - and how these ideas travel with us across borders homeland.
Prof. Rieuwerts is a leading scholar of Scottish literature and oral tradition at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. She founded the Scotland Hub and plays a central role in developing cultural exchange between Scotland and Germany. Her work on Sir Walter Scott’s Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border has helped reshape understanding of the relationship between oral tradition and literary culture. Her contribution to European cultural dialogue has been recognised by the Royal Society of Edinburgh and through the Constance Council Prize for European Encounters and Dialogue, awarded following nomination by the Scottish Government.
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Wednesday, 19th August 2026
Brodick Village Hall | 7pm
Tickets £20/U18 FREE
French trumpeter David Enhco and Swiss pianist Marc Perrenoud — two of Europe’s leading jazz musicians — bring to Arran CHET, their acclaimed tribute to the American trumpeter Chet Baker.
Through a programme of jazz standards alongside original compositions, Enhco and Perrenoud explore Baker’s musical world — a sound shaped by lyricism and light, but also by fragility, struggle and darkness. Rather than imitation, their approach seeks to capture something deeper: a sensibility, an atmosphere, and a way of listening.
Their performances are widely praised for their elegance, clarity and emotional depth. At the heart of CHET lies a distinctive musical dialogue, in which trumpet and piano move with restraint and intimacy, reimagining familiar material while opening new expressive space.
“Jubilatory! They practise music as outlaws.” — Le Monde
Thursday, 20th August 2026
Featuring young artists from Arran, Rheinland-Pfalz and Ukraine
A Concert Crossing Borders
Whiting Bay Hall | 7.30pm
Tickets £20/U18 FREE
At the heart of the Arran International Festival is a commitment to connection and friendship across cultures, communities and generations. A Concert Crossing Borders brings together young musicians from Arran, Rheinland-Pfalz and Ukraine in a shared programme shaped by cultural exchange, collaboration and friendship.
This concert offers a platform for emerging artists from across Europe and beyond to perform alongside one another, creating a dialogue through music that reflects both their individual cultural backgrounds and a shared artistic language.
The programme is being developed collaboratively in the lead-up to the festival and will include chamber works and ensemble performances.
Artists include:
Tabea Träger - horn
Judith Quinker - oboe
Gabin Yeom - bassoon
Dylan Zöller - clarinet
Mykhailo Bilash - flute
Rebecca Hill - clarsach
Aisling Coyle - clarsach
Katherine Coyle - Scottish smallpipes
Kitty Tudhope - Scottish smallpipes
Laura Coyle - snare drum
Mariia Petrovska - bandura
Friday, 21st August 2026
The Pupils of Kilmory Primary School and Friends
A Song for Arran
Kilmory Hall | 3pm
Free entry
This performance marks the premiere of A Song for Arran, a new work created by Composer-in-Residence Electra Perivolaris and the children of Kilmory Primary School. Developed through a creative process beginning in May 2026, the piece is shaped by the young people of the island itself, reflecting their voices, creativity and shared spirit.
The children will be joined and accompanied by the musicians from Arran and our young visiting artists from Germany and Ukraine.
Friday, 21st August 2026
The AIF Young Soloists
Candlelight Concert, The Twilight Hour
Brodick Parish Church | 7.30pm
Tickets £20/U18 FREE
Join us for a beautiful candlelight concert at twilight. The AIF Young Soloists comprise some of Germany’s finest young musicians, from the Hochschule für Musik Mainz, visiting the Arran International Festival for the first time.
Artists include:
Tabea Träger - horn
Judith Quinker - oboe
Gabin Yeom - bassoon
Dylan Zöller - clarinet
Mykhailo Bilash - flute
Saturday, 22nd August 2026
Mariia Petrovska
Heart of Ukraine
Kildonan Hall | 4pm
Tickets £20/U18 FREE
Across the Arran International Festival, Mariia Petrovska presents Heart of Ukraine — performances celebrating the beauty, resilience and spirit of Ukrainian musical traditions through the unique and evocative sound of the bandura.
Mariia Petrovska is an outstanding young Ukrainian musician — a bandura player and singer known for combining virtuosic technique with a pure, emotionally direct voice. Making her first appearances in Scotland at the Arran International Festival, she offers audiences a rare opportunity to encounter the rich traditions of Ukrainian music through a distinctive and deeply personal voice.
A multi-award-winning artist, Mariia moved to the United Kingdom following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and graduated from BIMM Manchester with first-class honours in Popular Music Performance and Songwriting. Her work draws on the traditions of Ukrainian music while bringing a fresh and contemporary perspective to the instrument and its repertoire.
Alongside her performing career, Mariia actively supports cultural and humanitarian initiatives connected with Ukraine, using her music as a voice for her homeland.
Mariia will also open the evening ahead of Scotland's finest, Findlay Napier and Gillian Frame, Brodick Golf Club, 7.30pm
Saturday, 22nd August 2026
Findlay Napier & Gillian Frame
Stories in Song
Brodick Golf Club | 7.30pm
Tickets £20/U18 FREE
Findlay Napier and Gillian Frame return to the Arran International Festival for a third successive year, bringing an evening of warmth, charm and musical brilliance. Join us for a night of Scottish traditional music in the heart of their own island community.
Findlay is one of Scotland’s finest singer-songwriters and a leading artist on the UK music scene. In 2025, he was named Composer of the Year at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards, having previously been nominated for Musician of the Year and Live Act of the Year.
Arran-born Gillian is an outstanding traditional fiddler and singer whose authenticity and natural charm infuse her performances. She was the first winner of BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year and was recently listed by The Scotsman as one of twelve influential women in Scottish culture.
Saturday, 22nd August 2026
Findlay Napier & Gillian Frame
Stories in Song
Brodick Golf Club | 7.30pm
Tickets £20/U18 FREE
Findlay Napier and Gillian Frame return to the Arran International Festival for a third successive year, bringing an evening of warmth, charm and musical brilliance. Join us for a night of Scottish traditional music in the heart of their own island community.
Findlay is one of Scotland’s finest singer-songwriters and a leading artist on the UK music scene. In 2025, he was named Composer of the Year at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards, having previously been nominated for Musician of the Year and Live Act of the Year.
Arran-born Gillian is an outstanding traditional fiddler and singer whose authenticity and natural charm infuse her performances. She was the first winner of BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year and was recently listed by The Scotsman as one of twelve influential women in Scottish culture.
Sunday, 23rd August 2026
Marty Ross
DRYAD
Roots of Arran Woodland | 11am
Tickets £20/U18 FREE
At AIF2026, Marty Ross returns with DRYAD, a drama exploring the unexpected and unsettling consequences of a construction company attempting to clear an ancient woodland with a sinister reputation - to make way for a modern bypass.
Performed as a journey through the landscape itself, the work unfolds among the ancient trees of the Roots of Arran woodland between Brodick and Lamlash, with audience and performer moving together through the forest.
Marty Ross is an Arran‑based dramatist with a long track record writing for the BBC, Wireless Theatre, and Audible, including the recently released Scottish ghost story The Dead of Rannoch Moor. Alongside his writing, he performs his own work as a live storyteller, shaping this most ancient of art forms into vivid contemporary theatre rooted in place and story.
Meeting point is the Viewpoint Car Park on hill between Brodick and Lamlash - first car park on right coming from Brodick, second on left coming from Lamlash.
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Festival supporters
The Arran International Festival is made possible through the generosity, encouragement and shared belief of those who support us. From individual patrons and benefactors to local businesses and community partners, we are deeply grateful to all who contribute to the life of the festival.
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Dear Richard and Trustees of the festival, The Arran International Festival of Chamber Music and Song looks fantastic and you’ve clearly put in an enormous amount of work to get to this stage. As you know I’ve always been a huge fan of arts festivals of any kind, not least because my first professional job in the industry was at the Edinburgh Festival. Whilst organising and participating in festivals requires huge commitment, many regard festivals as the lifeblood of our industry, they allow artists to get together to share and celebrate their work and enrich their skill and talent, but more importantly they offer audiences the opportunity to experience creativity, entertainment and work that is usually difficult for them to access, it looks like The Arran International Festival fulfils all of these things. Having spent many happy times on Arran over the last 20 years, I believe your festival will be embraced wholeheartedly by local people and business, and will add to the many existing attractions on the island for visitors. PW Productions is delighted to be able to support the festival, congratulations for getting this far and we wish you every success with it this year and well into the future, With very best wishes, Iain Gillie CEO, PW Productions, London.