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Scottish traditional and classical music once enjoyed a kinship far removed from today’s often rigid demarcations, fruitfully absorbing and reflecting each other’s strengths. One of Celtic Connections’ centrepiece contributions to the 2009 festivities, the Homecoming Scotland Suite seeks to reinvigorate this relationship in specially-commissioned works from eight leading composers and musicians, performed by the RSNO, conducted by Garry Walker and Stephen Deazley.

Sally Beamish’s newly-rewritten Under the Wing of the Rock, inspired by a haunting Gaelic lullaby, features the legendary US saxophonist Branford Marsalis, whose gloriously fluent, impassioned playing strongly influenced its original composition.

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s Greg Lawson will showcase his new arrangement of Martyn Bennett’s Liberation for full orchestra.

The night will also feature new works by Arizona-born composer/percussionist Steve Forman, (currently a research fellow at the RSAMD), fiddlers Aidan O’Rourke (orchestrated by Stephen Deazley) Patsy Reid and Chris Stout and Scotland’s own legendary saxophonist Tommy Smith.

A who’s who of folk musicians will perform including Shooglenifty’s James Mackintosh, David Milligan, Martin O’Neill, Alyn Cosker, Duncan Lyall, Ali Hutton, Jarlath Henderson, Martin O’Neill and Catriona McKay.

Tickets:  £24, £22, £20