Braemar arts venue seeks help as programme takes off

One of the North East’s leading arts venues has put out an appeal for a second-hand piano, to meet the demands of their scaled-up programme.

St Margaret’s Braemar is looking for a second-hand piano.

St Margaret’s Braemar is run by a charitable trust which has transformed a redundant A-listed church in the Deeside village into a busy performance space for live music.

With several concerts now taking place each month, St Margaret’s has upped the frequency and variety of performances with an eclectic programme for 2023 featuring jazz, classical, folk, acoustic, country, blues and experimental styles of music.

The venue is already home to a beautiful 180-year old chamber organ, on loan since 2021, and a reproduction Viennese fortepiano which are both used for recitals.

St Margaret’s has previously hired concert-standard pianos as required for large-scale events, for example for Classic FM’s 30th anniversary concert in 2022 which saw the Royal Scottish National Orchestra perform to His Majesty the King.

Brian Wood, Chair of the St Margaret’s Trust said: “St Margaret’s is now attracting some truly world-class performers to play in this unique, intimate and acoustically sublime venue.

“Our programme for 2023 has taken things up a gear once again, with sell-out crowds already at performances and an exciting mix of classical, jazz, country and folk to look forward to over the months ahead.

“We’ve reached the stage of requiring a quality piano in the venue — one which matches the calibre of our performers and the quality of the space, which is ideal for great music.

“Before dipping into our reserves — money raised through the kindness of donors and volunteers — we thought we might get lucky by putting the word out far and wide for any generous souls who might be able to help.

“Are you looking to downsize?

"Do you have an old piano which doesn’t get played as often as it used to that you’d like to see go to a good home?

“We promise to take good care of it so it can be enjoyed by musicians and audiences alike for many years to come.”

Anyone who may be able to help is asked to contact Venue Manager Lyndsey Boden at [email protected] or 07798713333.