Part of the Festival of Migration collection A collaborative music performance, comprised of musicians from Scotland plus those from a lived experience of displacement and immigration.

About this event

The Other is a collaborative music project, comprised of musicians from Scotland plus those from a lived experience of displacement and immigration. Our goal is to explore the music of different cultures by developing musical compositions based on the diverse ethnic backgrounds of the various international communities which have come to call Scotland home. With support from Creative Scotland’s Creative Development fund, and the EPAD Practice Support Fund, The Other brought together eight wonderful musicians in 2021 to work on five compositions, as a means of launching this project. Currently those involved come from Scotland, Iran, Chile and Brazil. This event and is funded by City of Edinburgh Council Diversity and Inclusion Fund. The diversity of their musical and cultural backgrounds, as well as their individual experiences, has contributed to a highly creative process and has produced some incredible music. The final outcome for the initial collaboration was a performance for The Pianodrome Sessions, recorded and filmed in their unique 100-seat amphitheatre in Granton, Edinburgh, on 29 June 2021. This was also streamed during the Refugee Festival on 17 July 2021. The individual musicians involved each have an amazing range of work in their own right, as well as the many projects they have contributed to over the course of their careers. The Other line-up is currently: Nationality Instrument From Iran Aref Ghorbani – Singer & Tar Ali Rahmani – Percussion Erfan Imandar – Percussion From Brazil Mario Caribe – Bass From Chile Jose Rojas – Percussion From Scotland Esther Swift – Harp & singer Matt Wright – Sax & Flute Luci Holland – Oboe & orchestration Iain Mackechnie – Guitar Artist-in-Residence Shatha Altowai created a series of images and text to be part of a back-projection for The Other performances. The content will provide a strong story-line about those who have a lived experience of displacement, and their settlement in a new country. The Festival of Migration is supported by City of Edinburgh Council’s events fund.