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New Beautiful South

Having taken a two-year sabbatical, The Beautiful South have reformed as New Beautiful South and plan an intimate show at Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree this Saturday.

Formed 20 years ago, the band have sold over 15million albums worldwide. They’ve had a string of hit singles such as Old Red Eyes is Back, Rotterdam and number-one single A Little Time. Their greatest hits album, Carry On Up the Charts, was one of the fastest-selling albums in UK history, entering at number one and staying there for weeks.

Featuring Dave Hemingway (vocals), Alison Wheeler (vocals), David Stead (drums), Damon Butcher (keyboards), Gary Birtles and Tony Robinson, the band will introduce their new guitarist and bass player on stage.

Special guest for this show will be Macduff’s Sandi Thom.

Tickets are available by calling 01224 641122 or visiting www.box officeaberdeen.com

University of Aberdeen Music Prize

Aberdeen is set to be swaying to the sound of beautiful music this weekend as a two-day event featuring talented young composers from across the globe gets under way.

The 2009 University of Aberdeen Music Prize weekend will see five budding musical maestros from far-flung corners of the world – Japan, Sweden, the US and Hong Kong – battle for supremacy in the north-east’s premier music competition.

Pre-eminent Scottish composer James MacMillan – who will judge the competition – will lead a weekend of workshops mentoring the composers, ahead of the grand final gala concert on Sunday evening.

The weekend of music begins with a free workshop event on Saturday from 10.30am to 4.30pm at Cowdray Hall, providing the opportunity to watch the composers fine tune their competition entries overseen by James MacMillan.

The grand final, which is free to attend, will take place on Sunday at 6.30pm, also in the Cowdray Hall. Competitors’ work will be performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra before the winning composer – who will take home the £5,000 prize and the prestigious title – is announced.

For more information on the weekend’s events, or to book for the 2009 University of Aberdeen Music Prize weekend grand final gala concert, contact the University of Aberdeen events team on 01224 273874 or visit www.abdn.ac.uk/aberdeen musicprize

The Songbird

An unusual and innovative musical theatre event for children is being staged at Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree Studio tomorrow.

Production company Giant has joined forces with acclaimed composer David Paul Jones to create The Songbird, a poetic tale about an extraordinary exotic bird which is captured by a ruthless logger and made to perform on stage in the city.

Influenced by how children listen, engage with and react to music and theatre, the production integrates live music and a specially-developed language of sound poetry, using the phonetics of words that have no literal meaning but that communicate an emotion tapping into human understanding.

Conceived and directed by Katrina Caldwell, The Songbird has an original score and libretto by David Paul Jones which complements Giant’s sensory theatre approach.

Tickets for the 11am performance tomorrow and the 11am and 2.30pm performances on Saturday cost £5 and are available at www.boxoffice aberdeen.com, by phone at 01224 641122 and at Aberdeen Box Office.

In the Night Garden

A memorable treat is on offer to all mums and dads this winter as top children’s show In the Night Garden returns to the big screen with “your child’s first cinema experience” during November and December. The screenings offer parents the chance to take their child to experience the magic of the cinema, probably for the first time, and see an episode from the brand new In the Night Garden DVD, What Fun!, now being shown at the Belmont Picturehouse, Aberdeen.

In the Night Garden runs at the Belmont until December 12 and will be shown on selected dates at 11am, timed to fit with parents’ busy schedule. Tickets are available from just £3 while adults go for free and, for added excitement, your child will also receive a free gift. Call 0871 704 2051 for tickets.