Roll up for Scotland’s cultural Olympics

MASSED bell-ringing, a spectacular outdoor concert in the shadow of Stirling Castle and a musical celebration of Scottish sporting heroes in Glasgow have been unveiled in a programme of events across Scotland to coincide with the London Olympics next year.

More than 300,000 people are set to take part in the events, with other highlights including a concert set to a film of deep space from Nasa’s archive at Glasgow’s Riverside Museum.

A multimillion-pound programme of cultural events in Scotland will bring together leading names from the worlds of art, film and music, including award-winning movie director Lynne Ramsay, acclaimed violinist Nicola Benedetti and Turner prize-winning artist Martin Creed.

One of the centrepieces is the All the Bells appeal, when Scots are being asked to ring bells across the country as loudly as they can for three minutes from 8am on 27 July to welcome the 205 competing nations on the first day of the 2012 Olympics.

Artist and musician Creed is leading the celebration, with Scots asked to sign up to a website promising they will ring any school bells or church bells they can get hold of on the day.

More than 8,000 people are expected to attend an open-air concert close to Stirling Castle, where Gustavo Dudamel, the conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the world-famous Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra will perform on 21 June – Midsummer’s Day.

Another major attraction is the Imaginate Festival, which will see a Scotland-wide theatre tour for children and young people showcasing newly written plays celebrating the Olympic ideal.

Director Lynne Ramsay, whose film We Need to Talk About Kevin is a critical and box-office hit, will also direct and write The Swimmer, following the travels of a lone swimmer in the wild waterways of the UK, ending in Nairn during Scotland’s celebration of the Olympics.

The bulk of the events in Scotland are being staged between 21 June and the last day of the Paralympic Games on 9 September as part of the Cultural Olympiad – the UK-wide programme of cultural events.

A series of events are also being held in the months leading up to the games, including Music Nation on 3 March, when the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra will be joined by violinist Nicola Benedetti and Scottish composer James MacMillan for an evening of entertainment at Glasgow’s Clyde Auditorium.

Other musicians in Scotland for the celebration will include the Seattle-based Kronos Quartet, which will perform the musical score to the screening of deep space at the Riverside Museum.

More than 50 cultural events are to be staged in Scotland during the Olympics, with about £5 million of funding going into the programme – the bulk of which has come from government body Creative Scotland.

Andrew Dixon, chief executive of Creative Scotland, said the programme was “designed to showcase Scotland on a world stage” and to “inspire the watching world”.

He said: “We’ve created a programme that shows Scotland’s creativity at its best: contemporary, international and reflecting the joy that a vibrant cultural life brings to our communities.

“We can’t wait for you to enjoy this coming year.”

Launching the programme yesterday, Scotland’s culture secretary, Fiona Hyslop, said: “Scotland has a global reputation as a land of creativity and innovation, and the London 2012 Festival is a fantastic opportunity to showcase and celebrate our exceptional creative talent on the international stage.

“This exciting programme features high-quality events and projects the length and breadth of our nation and will be one of the highlights of the Year of Creative Scotland in 2012.”