St Cecilia's Hall: Concert Room & Music Museum

09/09/2026

This weeks Instrument(s) of the Week are the tablā and bāyā. These two drums are the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music and this particular pair are quite unusual in that the bāyā is made from clay, where modern examples are made of metal. They are a rare surviving example of an older style of construction.

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

Pictured: Tablā and Bāyā, mid 19th-century. MIMEd 0416.

02/09/2026

Conservation Technician Esteban Mariño trying out our gorgeous 1956 Fender Telecaster and 1965 Stratocaster for a demonstration tomorrow at the 2026 ICOM MUSIC Annual Meeting, which will be taking place at St Cecilia’s Hall, Edinburgh, UK, 3-5 September. Stay tuned!

In this video: Telecaster, Fender, 1956. MIMEd 6652 and Stratocaster, Fender, 1965. MIMEd 6651.

02/09/2026

Please note that St Cecilia's Hall will be closed to the public on the 9th of September, due to staff training. We will be open again on the 10th of September!

02/09/2026

This week’s Instrument of the Week is the serpent. Despite being made of wood and wrapped in leather, the serpent is a brass instrument! They emerged as the lowest member of the brass family during the Renaissance and were originally used to strengthen the bass voices of choirs in plainchant.

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

Pictured Serpent, Baudouin, c.1820. MIMEd 3606.

31/08/2026

The Fringe may be over, but we still have plenty of events on at St Cecilia’s Hall this September!

🍂ICOM Music Annual Meeting | 3 September - 5 September 2026 | Online and Single Day Tickets still available
🍂Fairest Isles – the Musical Centres of Paris and London around 1700 | 4 September 2026, 7:30pm-8:30pm | £15/£10
🍂September Tours | 1, 12 and 18 September 2026, 2pm-3pm | Free with optional donation
🍂Epitaph For a Green Lover: The Linarol Consort with Héloïse Bernard | 12 September 2026, 3pm-4:30pm | £23; free for under 18s
🍂The UoE Charity Recital | 15 September 2026, 1pm-2pm | Entry by donation (minimum £5)
🍂Edinburgh Quartet: Lunchtime Concert | 28 September 2026, 1pm-2pm | Prices TBC

For more information and for booking links, go to: https://www.stcecilias.ed.ac.uk/whats-on/

27/08/2026

It's almost time!

Next week, we are hosting the ICOM Music Annual Meeting.

If you can't attend in person, you can register for online attendance, with tickets priced at just £20.

See you there!

https://www.stcecilias.ed.ac.uk/2026-icom-music-annual-meeting/

26/08/2026

26/08/2026

This week’s Instrument of the Week is this triple-fretted clavichord from c.1620. This tiny instrument is of great historical importance as it is among one of the oldest surviving clavichords and it is probably the oldest surviving clavichord made north of the Alps.

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

Pictured: Triple-fretted clavichord, c.1620. MIMEd 4486.

26/08/2026

Tickets for our Bank Holiday Monday concert are available via the links below!🎼🎟

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1994310116243?aff=oddtdtcreator

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/la-decima-musa-or-the-tenth-muse

20/08/2026

! Believe it or not, this image from the Scotsman was taken in the concert hall here at St Cecilia's Hall back in 1955 when it was still the Excelsior Ballroom! Pictured is The New Recital Group Concert featuring musicians Margaret Mournan, Joan Spencer, Ruth Dyson, Elidh McNat and Margaret Moncrieff.

We kind of miss the balcony...