‘It seems to us that no one is very sure what to do with St Andrew’s Day beyond re-enacting a shortbread tin scene with pre-recorded pipers and kilted dancers,’ said Soundhouse co-producers Douglas Robertson and Jane-Ann Purdy. ‘We want to do a lot better than that and celebrate the enormous breadth and quality of music being made in Scotland right now.’
Running from Thursday 26 to Monday 30 November at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre, the third annual Soundhouse Winter Festival is out to do just that. Tickets are on sale for a five-day run spanning jazz, trad, indie, rap, and classical acts.
Safe to say, this is not a festival celebrating standard heritage fare. Having covered Soundhouse’s stewardship of Edinburgh Tradfest over recent years, what stands out most is their knack for booking strong acts while pulling in diverse, growing audiences. This winter event applies that same programming ambition across a wider set of genres.
‘There is a very rich seam of home-grown musical talent, and we are delighted to present our third annual world-class line-up in Edinburgh this November,’ added Robertson and Purdy. ‘Hope to see you then!’
At a Glance
- Dates: Thursday 26 to Monday 30 November 2026
- Venue: Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh
- Tickets: Available via soundhousewinterfest.com
Soundhouse Winter Festival 2026: Headliners and Modern Sensibilities
The top of the bill leans squarely into that domestic talent. Scottish indie duo Sacred Paws—comprising Ray Aggs and Eilidh Rodgers—lead the charge, supported by Nani Porenta.
They share the headliner bracket with the powerhouse pairing of Irish singer Heidi Talbot, performing alongside songwriter Boo Hewerdine.
Edinburgh singer-songwriter Jake Cogan plans to preview material from her forthcoming third album. Saxophonist Matt Carmichael joins her to launch Held in the Dark, backed by a seven-piece band featuring pianist Fergus McCreadie and fiddler Charlie Stewart.
Award-winning queer piper, fiddle player, and instrument maker Malin Lewis completes the headline roster. Traditional roots, certainly, but framed with modern sensibilities.
New Commissions and Choirs: Fresh Scottish Composition
Fresh composition also takes centre stage. Tenor saxophonist and flautist Harben Kay presents Space for Dreaming, a newly commissioned piece designed to stretch the conventional jazz trio format.
Joined by Pippa Blundell on voice and guitar, Danielle Price on tuba, Brodie Laird-Jarvie on bass, and drummer Stephen Henderson, Kay’s ensemble sets out to query what happens when musicians slow down to leave room for responsiveness.
“We want to do a lot better than that and celebrate the enormous breadth and quality of music being made in Scotland right now.”
Soundhouse co-producers Douglas Robertson and Jane-Ann Purdy
‘I’m absolutely over the moon to be part of this year’s Soundhouse Winter Festival,’ said Kay. ‘Soundhouse is such a fantastic organisation—Jane-Ann and Douglas do an incredible amount for musicians and the wider music scene here in Scotland. It’s a real honour to be included in this year’s incredible line-up.’
For Kay, the commission provided crucial artistic freedom at a pivotal moment in his recording calendar.
‘This project couldn’t have come at a better time for me,’ added Kay. ‘I’m currently working towards my next album, and this Soundhouse commission has given me the perfect opportunity to write a brand-new set of music, complete with dedicated rehearsal time and a premiere performance. I’ve called the project ‘Space For Dreaming’, as it really is a dream project—I’ve brought together artists I deeply admire, regardless of genre, and I am so excited to hear what they bring to my compositions.’
Opening night belongs to the Soundhouse Choir. Formed in 2016, the 120-strong community group opens the weekend on Thursday with a free tenth-anniversary concert led by founder Heather Macleod.
‘It’s really lovely and fitting that this concert, which celebrates ten years of Soundhouse Choir, also celebrates our partnership with the Soundhouse Organisation,’ said Macleod. ‘Within the choir itself, I see many firm friendships form and have made many of my own too. It’s an incredible and ever-changing (albeit very large!) living organism that moves and breathes with life itself, simply because we sing together. It never fails to be a joy!’
Spotlights, Early Evenings, and the Rise of Soundhouse
Away from the late slots, the early evening concerts cover distinct territory. Singer-songwriter Cera Impala presents material from her forthcoming record, Persephone, alongside indie outfit The Deep Blue and the jazz pairing of Haftor Medbøe and Konrad Wiszniewski.
It was Medbøe and Wiszniewski’s 2023 Rose Theatre Fringe run that provided the initial spark for this festival. Both players are familiar figures locally—Medbøe as Emeritus Professor of Jazz and Improvised Music at Edinburgh Napier University and Wiszniewski playing with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra. For this festival, they draw on their 2023 album Poiesis alongside unreleased material.
A dedicated spotlight concert gives room to younger voices: Glasgow saxophonist Nor (Eleanor Colee), recent Scottish Jazz Awards Rising Star winner Laura Osa, and the Scandinavian-leaning Zoe Downs Band. Practical sessions round out the bill, led by jazz vocalist Sophie Bancroft and street band collective Oi Musica.
For Creative Scotland’s Head of Music, Alan Morrison, the five-day spread reflects a focused curatorial approach.
‘Since 2024, the Soundhouse Winter Festival has thrown a spotlight on two of the most dazzling threads in the Scottish music sector today – the forward drive of our most ambitious folk musicians and the rising tide of our young jazz talent,’ said Morrison.
It’s a fine endorsement for this latest fruit of the Soundhouse project which began more than two decades ago. What started in 2002 as living-room gigs in a converted shop by Holyrood Park led to a weekly Traverse residency in 2014, and to taking over Edinburgh Tradfest in 2019—doubling audiences in their first year at the helm. If the Traverse ever manages to raise the capital to transform its main auditorium into a genuinely flexible space—a development this writer would dearly love to see—the sky is truly the limit.
‘Through the perfect curation of a compact programme, this festival has quickly become a vital fixture on Scotland’s music calendar, safe in the trusted hands of the same people who have taken Edinburgh’s Tradfest to new heights,’ Morrison added.
Those hands may be safe, but they certainly aren’t playing anything safe this November. This is an organisation determined to offer an antidote to the usual St Andrew’s Day routines, and Morrison’s conclusion is hard to argue with:
‘Whether you’re in the mood for discovery or luxuriating in the sound of old favourites, this is the best place to spend the St Andrew’s Day weekend.’
Featured Image: Heidi Talbot and Boo Hewerdine – supplied by Soundhouse
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