Musical residency in Highlands to raise awareness of Climate Change

Riccardo Pes will create a collection of compositions based on the culture and scenery of Scotland, funded by the National Lottery and Arts Council England, during the month of October.

His residency, entitled Music and Nature, will include folk concerts in Glasgow before taking in a tour of Scotland’s most inspiring scenery, visiting the likes of Kylesku and Ullapool, Summer Isles and the Isle of Skye, as well as Cape Wrath and Handa.

Throughout Riccardo’s travels, he will be working with local musicians and outdoor rangers to gain inspiration for his cello compositions, seeking to explore the subtle yet strong relationship between music and nature. His compositions will be submitted to the Royal College of Music in London and will be available through streaming platforms as well as part of a national tour next year.

Riccardo was first inspired to connect his compositions to nature when the famous Sycamore Gap Tree in Northumberland was felled, visiting the site to create a soulful tribute piece called Lament for the Tree which has been featured by the BBC and helped raised funds for the replanting of the tree. He will be performing a new piece called New Life Springs at the site before his trip to Scotland, to celebrate the new shoots growing from the base of the stump.

He says: “I will be diving deep into Scotland’s folk traditions and landscapes, considering climate action and the natural world as I write, inspired by the breath-taking sceneries across the Northwest highlands of Scotland.”

Stephen Jones, Artistic Director at Royal College of Music, adds: “Riccardo’s Lament for the Tree.. gained worldwide attention and is typical of his imaginative and heartfelt response to the natural world.”