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Photo credit: Derek Maxwell Photography

Kate Molleson presents a special episode of Music Matters which explores the line between tradition and innovation in Scotland's musical life.
We hear from the Canadian piper, composer and arranger Jack Lee, winner of the 2021 Glenfiddich Piping Championship held at Blair Castle, as he reflects on the challenges of preparing for what is the world’s premiere piping competition; we speak to competition’s judge of the Fear an Tighe category – Bob Worrall – about the boundaries and creative possibilities of music making and attire; and the piper, performer, and ´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland presenter Gary West discusses, amongst other things, why the competition had no women finalists this year.

Kate meets the columnist and arts critic for the Scotsman, Joyce McMillan, and Professor of Architectural History and Theory, Ian Campbell, on location at Calton Hill in the heart of Edinburgh – site of the Royal High School, which has been abandoned for decades – to hear about recently approved plans to create a new centre for culture and education in one of the city’s most iconic buildings.

As the School of Scottish Studies Archives celebrates its 70th year, Kate is joined by the singers Steve Byrne and Julie Fowlis, and the Scottish writer, folklorist, ethnologist, broadcaster, and singer Margaret Bennett, to assess the archive’s role in the preservation and expansion of Gaelic and Scots culture today.

And, the principal conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Maxim Emelyanychev, tells Kate about the ensemble's role in music making across Scotland, describes how he navigates fluidly between the world of period instruments and traditional orchestras, and shares the story of his own journey into the profession.