February
The Swingles
Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfries & Galloway, DG3 4AQ
Saturday 1st February 2025
For over 60 years, The Swingles have pushed the boundaries of vocal music, earning 5 Grammy® Awards and worldwide admiration. Their signature sound, blending intricate arrangements with close-microphone amplification, remains timeless. The current group masterfully reimagines jazz, folk, pop, and classical music while creating original works, showcasing their vocal dexterity and versatility. Their seamless vocal blend continues to inspire composers and collaborators across genres.
Includes: Welcome Drinks & Canapés, "Behind the curtain" pre-concert talk and the Concert
N.B.
6:30-7:30pm Doors open Welcome Drinks & Canapés
7:30-7:50pm "Behind the curtain" pre-concert talk
8:00 The Concert
The Scottish Mens & Ladies Curling Championships
Dumfries Ice Bowl, Dumfries, DG2 9AN
1st - 8th February 2025
Hosted by Dumfries Curling
The Scottish Mens & Ladies Curling Championships
Early Bird Tournament Pass £45
Access all championship games with this great early bird price.
Jimmy White's Whirlwind Tour
Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries, DG1 4TA
Sun 2nd February 2025 7.30pm
Join us for An Evening With ''The Whirlwind'' Jimmy White! Hosted by none other than the voice of world snooker, Mr John Virgo, plus an exclusive trick shot masterclass from the man himself. Also joined by special guest snooker commentator and 1997 world champion Ken Doherty, this is a night snooker fans don't want to miss!
On the night Jimmy & Ken will play a few frames and talk us through their illustrious career both on and off the table under the watchful eye of John Virgo. Virgo will give spectators an insight into everything from Jimmy's 6 world championship runner up finishes, to his world seniors championship win!
The audience will then get the chance to put their questions to Jimmy, Ken and John in a live and unfiltered Q&A.
Guild of Players presents Nell Gwynn by Jessica Swale
Theatre Royal, Dumfries
12th, 13th, 14th & 15th February 2025 7.30pm
London, 1660. King Charles II has exploded onto the scene with a love of all things loud, extravagant and sexy. And at Drury Lane, a young Nell Gwynn is causing stirrings amongst the theatregoers.
Nell Gwynn charts the rise of an unlikely heroine, from her roots in Coal Yard Alley to her success as Britain's most celebrated actress, and her hard-won place in the heart of the King. But at a time when women are second-class citizens, can her charm and spirit protect her from the dangers of the Court?
Jessica Swale's exhilarating take on the heady world of Restoration theatre premiered at Shakespeare's Globe, London, in September 2015, before transferring to the West End in February 2016, starring Gemma Arterton. It won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2016.
Aaron Akugbo, trumpet & Zeynep Özsuca, piano
Netherby Hall, Carlisle - Fri 14th February 2025 6.30pm
Cochran Hall, Kirkcudbright - Sat 15th February 2025 7.30pm
Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries - Sun 16th February 2025 2.30pm
Programme:
Honegr Intrada
Bogeulanger Nocturne
Turnage True Life Stories: Elegy For Andy
Vivaldi "Agitata da due venti"
Bozza Aria
Françaix Sonatine
Interval
Hubeau Trumpet Sonata
Price The Glory of the Day was in Her Face
Turnage True Life Stories: Tune for Toru
Price Song to the Dark Virgin
Mahler Ich atmet' einen linden Duft!
Ropartz Andante and Allegro
Haunted Highways Tour
Dock Park Free Parking Area, Dumfries, DG1 2QL
Saturday 15th February 2025 6.30pm - 9.15pm
Screaming hags, eyeless phantoms and a menagerie of unearthy creatures... Join our intrepid team for a bus trip with a difference! Led by award-winning storytellers and real-life paranormal researchers - Mostly Ghostly - our eerie excursion will take you along famously active stretches of what is believed to be Scotland's most haunted road - the A75...
Miss Lindsay's Secret
Theatre Royal, Dumfries
Mon 17th February 2025 7.30pm
A curator has found, in her museum, a hidden box of letters, from Alexander Middleton, gone to the Klondike Goldrush. He writes to his childhood sweetheart, Minnie Lindsay, seamstress, left behind in their glen in the early 1900s. As The Curator explains, this is a true story from The Glenesk Folk Museum, Angus. She decides to reveal the letters' content and, in doing so, takes us into the parallel worlds of a close-knit early 20th century glen community and the heady yearnings of Canada's famous goldrush; But this is no ordinary history talk and the letters have an uncanny power. There are consequences in engaging with them too deeply.
Miss Lindsay's Secret tells a universal story of friendship, love and separation. In this time of invaded privacy, it questions the morality of reading private mail and turning it into a play. This moving story is evocatively told through an ebb and flow of music, drama and the original letters used verbatim. The cast of The Curator, The Musician and The Man conjure an onstage alchemy in which the unknown story of long ago lovers becomes a quietly powerful allegory of global forces continuing to shape our lives and identity. Miss Lindsay's Secret brings the past to the present, Scotland to the world, shining a light on Scotland's diaspora and the things that bind us to home.
Written and performed by Maria MacDonell with Alan Finlayson and live music from Georgina MacDonell Finlayson.
Mozart Oboe Concerto
Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries, DG1 4TA
Wed 19th February 2025 7.30pm
Programme
- SCHUBERT
Symphony No 1 - MOZART
Oboe Concerto - CAPPERAULD
Bruckner's Skull (World Premiere)* - BEETHOVEN
Symphony No 1
Maxim Emelyanychev ConductorIvan Podyomov OboeThe song-like Oboe Concerto was one of Mozart's most loved and performed pieces during his own lifetime. Discover why in the hands of internationally recognised soloist Ivan Podyomov, Principal Oboe at Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and an internationally recognised concerto player too.
Maxim Emelyanychev complements Mozart's charming creation with the first symphonies of two iconic composers: Schubert's is a remarkably mature, dramatic work for a 16-year-old, while Beethoven's strains against musical rules from its very first notes. By way of contrast, SCO Associate Composer Jay Capperauld delves into Bruckner's macabre fascination with those two composers in a brand-new piece.
*Commissioned by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Lions and Tigers and Bears with Gordon Buchanan
Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries, DG1 4TA
Fri 21st February 2025 7.30pm
Award winning wildlife photographer and filmmaker Gordon Buchanan will hit the road in 2025 with his biggest ever live tour - Lions and Tigers and Bears.
Join Gordon as he recounts thrilling encounters with pandas, grizzlies, tigers, jaguars and more. Learn about the heart-stopping moments, the mud, sweat, and tears, and the tender interactions that have shaped his extraordinary career.
Gordon Buchanan has dedicated his life to exploring the untamed beauty of the natural world, from the bamboo forests of China to the snowy landscapes of Russia, from the towering Himalayas to the depths of the Amazon. His mission: to capture the majestic big cats and bears on film and reveal their secrets to a global audience.
Book your tickets now and don't miss the opportunity to be inspired in a night of adventure, awe and wonder!
Booze Bingo
Loreburn Hall, Dumfries, DG1 2HP
Sat 22nd February 2025 2pm - 6pm
The Testament of Gideon Mack
Theatre Royal, Dumfries
Sat 22nd February 2025 7.30pm
The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson, adapted by Matthew Zajac
Dogstar'svibrant new stage version of thisacclaimed novel tells a story of grief and the crisis of faith in our society, channelled through the story of one generous, energetic, perceptive, ashamed and very Presbyterian individual, the Reverend Gideon Mack of Monimaskit. A story of late 20th century Scotland, a story of a minister who doesn't believe in God. Then he meets the Devil.
The Testament of Gideon Mack is full of humour, provocation and the supernatural, presenting a microcosm of small-town Scotland with a cast of vividly-drawn characters. An ensemble cast of eight actors will evoke Monimaskit's community as it grapples with Gideon's revelation that he spent three days with the Devil. Is Gideon a prophet or a man sent mad by grief?
Music in Dumfries presents: Arunda Wind Trio
The Bridge, Dumfries, DG2 9AW
Sun 23rd February 2025 3pm
Anna Mary Lynch, bassoon; Irena Klimach, oboe; Jennifer Stephenson, clarinet.
Arunda was formed in 2010 after studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Royal Northern College of Music and the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Région de Marseille.
Passionate about promoting the diverse range of music available for reed trio, Arunda is constantly exploring new repertoire and enjoys bringing some of the lesser known works to the concert platform.
PROGRAMME
Mozart - Divertimento no.2 KV 439b
Ibert - Cinq Pièces en Trio
Auric - Romance
Rossini - Overture to the Barber of Seville
Tansman - Suite pour trio d'anches
Bizet - Selections from Carmen
arranged by Karen Evans
Jacques Leclair - La Petite Pâtisserie
We Three Kings - of Rock n Roll
Theatre Royal, Dumfries
Fri 28th February 2025 7.30pm
An Evening of Rock n Roll music from three Icons of Rock n Roll. Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, & Elvis Presley.
Roy Orbison, played by Darren Page will perform the hits from 'In Dreams' to 'I Drove all Night'. Hit after hit, just back from his European Tour, Darren will have you believing Roy is back in the room!
Marc Robinson and his four-piece band 'The Counterfeit Crickets' pay attention to detail with a tribute to Buddy Holly, with authentic attire, horned rimmed glasses and the famous Stratocaster Guitar. Marc Robinson from the original 'Stars in their Eyes' show and 'Buddy' The Musical, creates nostalgic memories with songs that include... 'Heartbeat', 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore', 'Peggy Sue' and 'True Love Ways'!
ELVIS... what more can you say. The true King of Rock n Roll himself - lots of classics - 'That's all-right Mama', 'G.I. Blues', & 'Jailhouse Rock'. From the 'BBC Elvis Show' and many more hit shows around Great Britain, Europe & Las Vegas - Steve Halliday, with authentic costume changes will transport you back to the days when Rock n Roll was King!
Rock n Roll at its finest! Will Rock n Roll in Dumfries ever Die? That'll be the Day!
Wave Blues Band
Crichton Central, Dumfries, DG1 4TA
Friday 28th February 2025 7.30pm
Wave Blues band takes you into the world of Chicago and delta electric Blues.
Get your mojo working and be spellbound by the driving soulful rhythms that will make you shake your tail feathers.
The five piece wave Blues band come from southwest Scotland and I heavily influenced by Blues artists such as Big Mama Thornton, Jimmy Reed and Howlin Wolf.