St Cecilia's Hall: Concert Room & Music Museum

17/08/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our second South Asian Heritage Month Celebration Day! We were so lucky to have the chance to spotlight various South Asian musicians, dancers and artists this year 😊 we can't wait to see what the rest of this year brings!

13/08/2026

Did you know that St Cecilia's Hall is hosting this year's ICOM Music Annual Meeting? Want to know the best part? You don't even need to be an ICOM member to attend! Tickets start from as little as £20 - find out more information on our website, or click the link below to register now.🎼🥳

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/2026-icom-music-annual-meeting-tickets-1993195229587

12/08/2026

This week’s Instrument of the Week is the keyed bugle. Keyed bugles were an important step in the development of brass instruments and musical ensembles. Borrowing the concept from woodwinds, keys were initially added to trumpets and then to the military bugle in around 1800.

Want to find out more? Head over to our digital guide on Bloomberg Connects and use the lookup number below!

Pictured: Keyed bugle, Josh Greenhill, c.1835. MIMEd 3741.

11/08/2026

06/08/2026

Sewing Bee fans! Did you catch St Cecilia's Hall's mention in this week's episode of The Great British Sewing Bee? Contestant Emma created a beautiful dress inspired by the patron saint of music, Saint Cecilia, in honour of the place where she met her husband, St Cecilia's Hall! We'll be adding matchmaker to our list of accolades😜

05/08/2026

This week’s Instrument of the Week is this flute with surviving corps-de-rechange from between 1765 and 1791. When this instrument was made, there was no standard pitch and the tuning pitch fluctuated substantially from town to town. For this reason, a professional flute player would have purchased a flute with as many as six corps-de-rechanges to accommodate this difference!

Want to find out more? Head over to our digital guide on Bloomberg Connects and use the lookup number below!

Pictured: Flute, T. Collier, 1765-1791. MIMEd 2648.

01/08/2026

It’s that time of the year again!

We have a busy Fringe schedule lined up for you, from traditional Japanese music to music-themed talks, from bagpipes to Venetian opera, there is something for everyone.

🎼Summer Family Trail | 1 August - 29 August 2026, multiple time slots | Free with optional donation
🎼Highlight Tours | 7-29 August 2026, 2pm-3pm | Free with optional donation
🎼Colours in Traditional Japanese Music | 8 August 2026, 6pm-7pm | Free
🎼Seasons in Traditional Japanese Music | 8 August 2026, 8pm-9pm | Free
🎼Classical Bagpipe Music – Scotland’s Hidden Treasure | 9 August 2026, 7:30pm-9pm | £12-£15
🎼Sounds of St Cecilia’s I | 12 August 2026, 3pm-4pm | £5-£15
🎼Notes of Freedom | 12 August 2026, 6pm-7pm | £5 or pay what you can
🎼Attila the Stockbroker’s Early Music Show | 14 August 2026, 2pm-3pm | Free
🎼Sounds of St Cecilia’s II | 15 August 2026, 3pm-4pm | £5-£15
🎼Sounds of St Cecilia’s III | 19 August 2026, 3pm-4pm | £5-£15
🎼Winds of Change: The Joy of Baroque | 20 August 2026, 1pm-2pm & 3pm-4pm | £15-£18
🎼Creating a Sonic Haven: Music, Connection and Equality | 20 August 2026, 6pm-7pm | £5 or pay what you can
🎼Attila the Stockbroker’s Early Music Show | 21 August 2026, 2pm-3pm | Free
🎼Sounds of St Cecilia’s IV | 22 August 2026, 3pm-4pm | £5-£15
🎼Edinburgh Renaissance Band’s Viol Rackett Show | 23 August 2026, 2pm-3pm | £10
🎼Sounds of St Cecilia’s V | 26 August 2026, 3pm-4pm | £5-£15
🎼Kate Witney and Jonty Nowell | 29 August 2026, 2pm-2:50pm & 3:30pm-4:20pm | £12
🎼Musica Antica Rotherhithe | 31 August 2026, 4pm-4:50pm | £5-£15

For more information, and to book your tickets, go to: https://www.stcecilias.ed.ac.uk/whats-on/, or look up venue 77 on the Fringe website!

29/07/2026

This week’s Instrument of the Week is the slide trumpet. Slides began appearing on trumpets during the Renaissance. The early slide trumpet had a telescoping mouthpiece, where the player would hold the mouthpiece up against their lips and move the entire body of the instrument! This example is a later version and has a slide the player moves with their fingers.

Want to find out more? Head over to our digital guide on Bloomberg Connects and use the lookup number below!

Pictured: Slide trumpet, Goodison, c.1830. MIMEd 3288.

24/07/2026

On May 2 1983, the Evening News published this article discussing the University's timely acquisition of St Cecilia's Hall and the Russel Collection. Fast forward 40 years and our instrument collection has grown from just 40 keyboard instruments to over 6000 instruments of all types! We've also managed to up our opening hours from just one Saturday a week to five days a week! What do you think will have changed by 2066?

23/07/2026

We are delighted to host the 2026 Annual Meeting of ICOM MUSIC. This year's theme "Musical Instrument Collections in Digital Transformation: Research, Access, and Museum Ethics" will surely be of interest to many in our field.

You don't need to be a member of ICOM MUSIC to attend and there is a special rate for students, so please do join us in September.

Musical Instrument Collections in Digital Transformation: Research, Access, and Museum Ethics We are delighted to announce the 2026 ICOM MUSIC Annual Meeting will take place at St Cecilia’s Hall 3-5 September 2026. Registration is now open. To book your ticket, click the button below. Register The...