At 11.00 am, Haddo House awakens to music in three contrasting spaces, each offering a distinct listening experience. The musicians of Aberdeen City Music School present a series of solo recitals, thoughtfully curated and introduced by the performers themselves.

In the Hall, Solo Recital I opens the day on a broader canvas, allowing performers to explore repertoire that benefits from space, projection and resonance. The scale of the room provides an appropriately expansive setting for music of character and ambition. Please click HERE for programme

The modern setting of the Peat Yards plays host to our Solo Recital II where our ACMS performers will be exploring solo performance repertoire from 1600 to present day including the music hall and theatre repertoire. Please click HERE for programme

In the Library, Solo Recital III offers intimacy and immediacy, drawing the audience into close engagement with detail, nuance and tonal colour. The atmosphere encourages attentive listening and reflective appreciation. Please click HERE for programme

Each recital offers not only performance but insight, as the musicians introduce their chosen works and share the artistic thinking behind them.

At midday, the Drawing Room becomes an operatic salon. Our singers explore the emotional and dramatic richness of Mozart’s stage works, presenting arias of wit, tenderness and psychological nuance. The refined proportions of the room evoke the world of eighteenth century domestic music making, while the music itself reminds us of Mozart’s enduring theatrical genius.

Alternatively, step into the open air of the Peat Yards for a burst of summer energy. Our jazz musicians offer a set of jazz and funk infused with rhythmic vitality and improvisatory flair. Expect music drawn from the American Songbook and beyond, performed with spontaneity and style. If Mozart offers poise and elegance, the Peat Yards promise groove, colour and irresistible momentum.

The first of two piano recitals takes place in the Library at 1.00 pm. Aberdeen City Music School is home to a remarkable cohort of pianists, and this programme traces a path from Baroque architecture through Classical clarity to the expressive expansion of the early Romantic era. The setting encourages close listening and reflective engagement with the instrument’s tonal range.

At the same time, the Game Larder provides an atmospheric setting for a recital centred on the clarsach. Spanning traditional and contemporary repertoire, the programme explores the instrument’s delicacy and resonance. Joined by instrumental colleagues in selected works, the performers create a tapestry of sound that is at once intimate and expansive.

The Drawing Room hosts our chamber musicians for the first of two recitals exploring mainly the Classical and Romantic repertoire. Please note that this is a standing only venue, therfore the concert will be divided into three mini-recitals, all announced by our pupils.

In contrast, the Hall welcomes a jazz pianist and collaborators for a set of standards and popular classics. Drawing on the American Songbook and the broader jazz tradition, the performance balances lyricism with rhythmic vitality, celebrating the art of ensemble communication and improvisation.

From 2.30 pm to 3.15 pm, the Courtyard area resounds with the unmistakable voice of the pipes. The ACMS pipers, joined by friends, present a programme of popular repertoire delivered with authority and exuberance. The outdoor setting lends ceremony and splendour to a performance that is both rooted in tradition and alive with contemporary energy. Please note that this performance will be given on the lawn area between the courtyard and the main car park.

At 3.00 pm, a second piano recital unfolds on the magnificent Steinway grand piano. This programme turns to the late Romantic and contemporary repertoire, exploring heightened colour, expanded harmony and bold expressive gestures. The scale of the hall allows the instrument’s full sonority to flourish.

Meanwhile, the Library provides an intimate setting for a further chamber concert featuring strings, winds and guitar. Surrounded by the quiet presence of books and scholarship, this programme highlights the conversational nature of ensemble playing. From lyrical intimacy to spirited dialogue, the performance invites close listening and celebrates the refinement, balance and expressive subtlety that lie at the heart of chamber music.

At 4.00 pm, the Hall comes alive with the ACMS Traditional Music Group. Drawing on the rich traditions of Scotland, Ireland and America, the ensemble presents tunes of poignancy and exuberance in equal measure. From reflective airs to driving reels, the programme captures the communal spirit at the heart of traditional music.

Please click for Programme

The day concludes at 6.00 pm with a service of Choral Evensong in the Chapel, bringing together the full musical community of Aberdeen City Music School. Rooted in a centuries-old tradition, Evensong offers a space for reflection, stillness and shared listening at the close of a richly varied day.

In this final gathering, music returns to its liturgical roots, offering reflection, grandeur and a fitting close to a day in which Haddo House has resonated with artistry in every corner.