This new cross-cultural project is a world first, combining the brilliance of the Scottish poet Bruce Leeming with the music of some of Australia’s finest established and emerging composers.

In 2012 Icon Trio’s Vivien Hamilton was travelling in Scotland when she came across a book of haiku in both English and Lallans Scots by Bruce Leeming. Inspired by the Japanese model, each poem is an evocative miniature, capturing fleeting moments from Scottish lives and places. These poems inspired Icon Trio to commission a group of eleven Melbourne composers to create musical settings of Leeming’s haiku for female vocal trio.

Scots Haiku: Laverocks Tweedlin is the result: a program of engaging music based around Scots Haiku compositions. The program is simply-staged, enhancing the moods and images captured in each piece: whether it be drinking whiskey with friends, moonlight on a loch, or a swirling sea fog. The warm blend of voices (interweaving, giggling, soaring, celebrating, mourning) and the variety of musical styles and tone colours, make for a fascinating event. Icon Trio has been invited to perform this program at a number of venues in Edinburgh and Glasgow in October 2017.

 

Art Gallery Ballarat July 2014; extracts from Scots Haiku program

<p><a href=”https://vimeo.com/169051771″>IconTrio snapshot</a> from <a href=”https://vimeo.com/user36444396″>Justine Anderson</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Barwon Park National Trust Property Winchelsea May 2016; extracts from Scots Haiku program

<p><a href=”https://vimeo.com/169422573″>Icon trio snapshot 2xfade</a> from <a href=”https://vimeo.com/user36444396″>Justine Anderson</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Audio Samples

1. Dreich the Day. Text by Bruce Lemming from Scots Haiku and music by Irine Vela.

Recorded June 2014 – Studio recording

Dreich the day: the craws cannae fash thirsels croupin

Gloamin: the yalla puppies steikin

Muinlicht: athort the frozent loch a lassie kecklin

Dull today: the crows can’t be bothered to caw

Dusk: the yellow poppies closing

Moonlight: across the frozen loch a girl chuckling

2. Throu the haar. Text by Bruce Lemming from Scots Haiku and music by Christine McCombe.

Recorded June 2014. Studio recording

Throu the haar a waik sin – fowk pass talkin sma

Through the sea fog a weak sun – people pass speaking quietly

3. O Virgins Splendens – Libre Vermell de Montserrat

Vox Pix 2011 Wyselaskie Auditorium University of Melbourne

 

Images

Icon Trio performing Scots Haiku in National Trust property Barwon Park, Winchelsea Victoria 1st May 2016.

Singing Scots Haiku live to air, on ABC Radio 774 with Libby Gorr 2014

Rehearsal at National Trust property Glenfern with Team of Pianists, April 2016.

Icon Trio at the iconic Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne 2013