Scotland welcomed the Olympic Torch Relay on 7 June with celebratory performances on the quayside in Cairnryan from the National Youth Pipe Band and the National Youth Choir of Scotland, performing a specially commissioned ‘Going for Gold’ Cantata, as part of ‘Summer of Song’, a national project supported by Creative Scotland.

Scotland’s singing voices will join in unison and harmony from 8 June as the Torch weaves its way across the country, with Castle Square, Stranraer providing the first public torchbearing moment with a performance from West Galloway Harmony Group, U3A.

Singing a mixture of local favourites, new commissions, anthems, pop songs or traditional music, communities across the country will unite to celebrate in song the values of the Olympic Torch: peace, unity and friendship.

The Torch route will be filled with the sound of music as local composers, choirs, singers, schools, community groups and more come together to perform songs of celebration, marking the Torch’s presence in Scotland ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games, with the hopes that many new choir members will continue to enjoy singing collectively long after the Torch has left town.

On its first full day the Flame will travel through South, East and North Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire to a number of performances, before arriving in Glasgow. Here, community choirs will be positioned at locations along the route, providing a celebratory soundtrack as the Torch Relay makes its way to the city centre. George Square will come alive for the evening celebration with choirs and musicians performing songs, including a Gaelic translation of Adele’s ‘Set Fire to the Rain’, alongside a performance from Scottish Ballet’s Youth Collective. As part of Get Scotland Dancing – aligned with the Big Dance London 2012 Festival project – Dance House, Glasgow’s ‘Still Dancing’ group of older dancers and dancers from ‘Project Y’ will also entertain the crowds with specially choreographed routines to celebrate the occasion.

The 9 June kicks off with ‘The Relay of Sound’ in East Dunbartonshire and a performance of ‘More than an Athlete’, written and recorded by young people at song writing workshops, with inspiration taken from the ethos and values of the Olympics.  The Torch will then travel through West Dunbartonshire, Argyll & Bute, Stirling and the Highlands, welcomed by commemorative performances from Gaelic choirs, school choirs, contemporary pipes and drums along the way.

The Orkney Islands are the next point of call on the 10 June with a new composition from Douglas Montgomery and Brian Cromarty and then onto the Shetland Islands where the bearers will delight at Brian Nicholson’s ‘Runnin’ wi’ a brand in wir haand’, a song which has been written in the Shetland dialect.

Children of the Western Isles will showcase their vibrant Gaelic culture on the 11 June, along with a solo song from Gaelic singer Kathleen MacInnes. Then it’s off to the Highlands, Moray and Aberdeenshire, with an exclusive performance from artist Rachel Sermanni in Carrbridge and a ‘Tunnel of Sound’ in Banchory, created by a range of choristers to cheer the flame along its way. Tomintoul, the highest village on the Torch route in Scotland, will celebrate with a 40-strong adult choir, The Moray High Choir. Made up from residents from across the Moray community, they will perform a trio of songs including ‘Run’ by Snow Patrol, ‘Adiemus’ by Karl Jenkins and the traditional ‘Highland Cathedral’. Aberdeen City will host the evening celebration, preceded by a performance of ‘Rising Wave’ by 150 singers and a 12-piece brass ensemble on the steps of the Music Hall, Union Street. The Torch Relay will also be celebrated with Get Scotland Dancing choreographed performances from Eden Court Theatre in Inverness, where a flash-mob will perform along the route, and City Moves in Aberdeen who’s dancers from community groups and dance group ‘Fusion’, who recently won a competition to perform at the Olympic Games in July, will all take part in special performances.

Angus, Perth & Kinross, Fife Council and Dundee will all revel in the light of the Flame on the 12 June with 200 people performing Dougie Maclean’s specially composed song ‘The Things we Love’ to a 4000 strong audience at Scone.

The 13 June is one of the busiest days with performances taking place in the regions of Clackmannanshire, Stirling, North Lanarkshire, Falkirk, Fife, West Lothian and the City of Edinburgh. Highlights will include performances from 140 pupils from four North Lanarkshire primary schools who have composed their own songs based on the Olympic themes and 160 primary pupils from West Lothian who will be performing songs from Scottish Opera’s ‘Scotland Our Scotland’ project. Scotland’s capital city plays host to the evening celebration at Edinburgh Castle.

Leaving Edinburgh on the 14 June, final performances and choral arrangements come from East Lothian, where local schools picked up the call to celebrate the Olympic Torch Relay through song with three choirs singing simultaneously on three stages as the flame passes through Musselburgh, before the sound of harmonious voices carry on through Midlothian, reaching the final destination of the Scottish Borders.

Creative Scotland is backing Summer of Song with investment of £200,000. Creative Scotland has also commissioned artist Roddy Buchanan to capture the activity on film as a lasting record of the thousands of people who united in song in celebration of the values of peace, unity and friendship associated with the Olympic Flame: ‘Keep Her Lit’ will invite viewers in to the cultural experience surrounding the Olympic Torch Relay – to the very heart of communities against a backdrop of stunning natural landscapes and vibrant cities.

Iain Munro, Director of Creative Development, Creative Scotland said:  
‘Singing is uplifting, joyous and memorable. Many people sing daily, either as part of their creative lives, with their children, or just in the privacy of their car on their daily commute. Scotland has terrific singers and tremendous songs and Summer of Song is a fitting national celebration to unite communities through culture and welcome the Olympic Torch in this, the Year of Creative Scotland.’

Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop said: 
‘As the Olympic Torch travels through Scotland, the ‘Summer of Song’ will shine a light on the best of our creativity and musical talent.  With this year being the Year of Creative Scotland, it is an ideal opportunity to showcase our nation’s creative strengths in the run up to London 2012 and to the Commonwealth Games in 2014.’

On behalf of SOLACE (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives & Senior Managers) Scotland, South Ayrshire Council Executive Director Harry Garland said: 
‘Summer of Song is a fantastic way for people and communities to come together to celebrate the Olympic Torch Relay in Scotland and is sure to provide some of the most memorable moments during this wonderful occasion. Singing is such an important part of Scotland’s traditions, so it’s entirely appropriate for song to feature so prominently during the Torch Relay and I hope as many people as possible take the opportunity to join in.’

At least 20 new songs will be created through the Summer of Song, as well as increasing the involvement of people with little or no singing experience. Young children aged between birth and five years will also take part through the Bookbug Rhyme and Singing sessions, which will see up to 7,000 babies, toddlers and young children take part through playgroups, schools and other events. There are 260 Bookbug Week events happening all over Scotland (up 100 events from last year). The Bookbug Week Song, ‘The Torch Is On Its Way’, is also proving popular with over 350 downloads.

Creative Scotland has also supported CitizenRelay http://www.citizenrelay.net/ a participatory media project that will amplify London 2012 Cultural Olympiad activity taking place across Scotland. Led by the UWS Skillset Media Academy citizen reporters will follow the Flame capturing stories, view and memories including around Summer of Song, generate multimedia content, aggregate it on one web platform and share alternative stories about the Olympics with regional partners in the #media2012 national initiative.

For a full list of events taking place as the Olympic Torch travels through Scotland please see:  http://www.london2012.com/olympic-torch-relay

Source: Creative Scotland