We are thrilled that the School’s Scots Chamber Orchestra has been invited to perform at a very special venue.
On Wednesday 4 November 2026, from 1pm – 1.30pm, the group will play at the Wighton Centre in Dundee, which is home to an internationally important collection of old and rare music books and works, donated by the Dundee merchant and music collector, Andrew Wighton.
The Friends of Wighton organise concerts and classes in the Centre to help raise awareness of this wonderful resource and the Scots Chamber Orchestra is delighted to be giving the first of its two performances in the Friends’ 2026-27 concert series next week. The performance will include various pieces from the Library collection of James Oswald, including his famous Autumn from Airs for the Seasons, and music from his Trio Sonatas on Scots Tunes.
Director of the Scots Chamber Orchestra, Gill Simpson, says, “The Wighton Collection was left to the city of Dundee after Andrew Wighton died in 1866, when his trustees gifted the music collection to the then-Free Library in Dundee after the city adopted the Free Public Libraries Act.
“There are hundreds of volumes of traditional and published Scottish works, as well as rare copies of music by Niel and Nathaniel Gow, James Scott Skinner and Robert MacIntosh to name a few, which are all beautifully bound and stored in the library for all to see. It is a purpose-built space dedicated to the study, performance, and appreciation of traditional Scottish music and The centre acts as a specialized research archive, as Andrew’s collection has proven to be a jewel in the crown for the city library service – the books are almost beyond value, and certainly beyond the cost of cataloguing them. The collection also includes a few manuscripts that Wighton himself copied – such as his copy of the Blaikie viola da gamba manuscript, which itself is now lost – and a handwritten copy of Autumn, by James Oswald, which is part of his Airs for the Seasons, as well as other unique handwritten materials.
“The Heritage Centre was master-minded by librarian David Kett and was opened in November 2003. It’s a beautiful space beside the Local History Library, designed for small, intimate performances. Events have also been arranged to showcase particular volumes in the collection.
“The Scots Chamber Orchestra would like to thank The Friends of Wighton for the kind invitation to perform in their 2026-27 Concert Series and to help raise public awareness of this unique collection of music.”
- Wednesday 4 November 2026, 1pm – 1.30pm; Free to attend but donations to the Centre welcome
- Wighton Centre, Dundee: located inside the Central Library on the upper floor of the Wellgate Centre