Poet and Makar Jackie Kay, singer-songwriter Ghetto Priest, bass Brian Bannatyne-Scott and renowned countertenor David James come together with members of the Scottish Ensemble for four very special late-night concerts exploring Robert Burns, slavery and Scotland, in the magnificent and atmospheric Great Hall of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
The concert is inspired by two Burns-related exhibitions featuring the work of the eminent contemporary Scottish artists Douglas Gordon and Graham Fagen. Sally Beamish's new setting of Burns's The Slave's Lament will receive its first live performance by Ghetto Priest and the Scottish Ensemble. David James, formerly of the Hilliard Ensemble, will sing Arvo Prt's exquisite and haunting arrangement of Burns's My Heart's in the Highlands, a piece that was specially written for him.
Jackie Kay will give a reading of a poem that she has composed for the occasion.