THE RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT of the cancellation of this year’s Highland Festival will inevitably raise the spectre of Northlands. The Caithness festival also pulled the plug at even shorter notice to take a year off, and never returned.

Highland Festival seems a different case. Chairman Gary Coutts has been making confident noises about the return currently scheduled for 2006, and more importantly, the main institutional funders seem to be on board (with Northlands, the funding bodies were as much in the dark as the rest of us).

Assuming  that it will be back on course in 2006 as planned, the break may do no real harm in the long run. The festival badly needs to regroup in the wake of damaging internal strife and staff changes, and also needs to establish a genuinely workable format and identity, something that it has arguably never succeeded in finding.

The event has had its successes, including many imaginative commissions, and if its director and board are able to build on its strengths with the extra time now available to them – and keep the crucial sponsors on board – then it will not have been a wasted sacrifice.

In the meantime, June suddenly looks like a very good time to take your holidays if you are an arts lover in the Inverness area (as, in fact, I plan to do!). Eden Court closes its doors on 4 June for its 18-month refurbishment, and the cancellation of the festival now leaves the month looking very empty indeed.

There is plenty going on this month, though, starting with another Scottish Arts Council Tune Up tour featuring Highland band Dòchas in a double bill with the Michael McGoldrick Band, a crack outfit led by the Capercaillie flautist. See our interview with Julie Fowlis and an updated band profile of Dòchas.

Georgina Coburn takes a look at the latest developments for the Strathspey-based Scottish dance group Dannsa, and Kathy Hubbard files an inspirational ArtsFolk from Shetland, where they are gearing up for the annual Folk Festival later this month.

Curve Dance Foundation will include the first production by a Scottish company of a dance by Merce Cunningham in their touring programme, and artistic director Ross Cooper will tell us all about it. More jazz, too, with a Tune Up tour for saxophonist Phil Bancroft’s Quartet – look out for an interview with Phil later this month.

As usual, we will be posting more news, features and reviews throughout the month. However, we have decide to remove the Discussion Forum for the time being – sadly, our readers (and we know there are lots of you out there) have not felt compelled to share their views on arts and culture in the Highlands and Islands, and we have grown tired of seeing it so woefully neglected. The Bulletin Board will remain available for passing on information.

Kenny Mathieson
Commissioning Editor