2026-04-08 13:27

New Edinburgh and Glasgow festival will mark 170th anniversary of Scotland's forgotten piano pioneer

Scotland produced one of the most accomplished pianists and composers of her generation - and forgot her...

Helen Hopekirk was born in Portobello, Edinburgh in 1856. She performed as soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra twelve times and composed over a hundred works, including a piano concerto and a celebrated collection of Scottish songs that preserved traditional folk songs including Auld Lang Syne, The Bonnie, Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond, and Land o’ the Leal for future generations. Throughout an international career that took her from Edinburgh to Leipzig to Boston, she never stopped drawing on the music and landscape of her homeland. And yet today, her music is almost never performed in Scotland.

This May, that changes. The Helen Hopekirk Festival takes place across Edinburgh and Glasgow from 18–24 May 2026, marking the 170th anniversary of her birth with a week of concerts and events that bring her music back to Scotland.

"My whole musical life has been shaped by a passion for heritage and, especially, for celebrating the contribution of women composers, pianists and educators. Helen Hopekirk was one of the first names I discovered when I moved to Scotland and, the more I learnt, the stranger it seemed that Scotland had forgotten her. Her Romance in A Minor was the piece that made me understand just how much had been lost. On the 170th anniversary of her birth, I wanted to create something that would let people encounter her music for the first time, performed by the people who know it best in the world." - Veronika Strelbitskaia, Artistic Director, Helen Hopekirk Festival.

The festival brings together leading artists across seven days in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

18 May, Bubblyjock Collective: Helen Hopekirk and Quines at Scottish Music Centre, Glasgow.

A young trio of Royal Conservatoire graduates who champion Scottish composers from the 19th century to the present, including soprano Rosie Lavery, pianist Anna Michels and accordionist Neil Sutcliffe. Their programme features music by Hopekirk alongside Isobel Dunlop, Marie Dare and Claire Liddel.

20 May, Dr Hannah Roberts: Celtic Legends, Broughton High School, Edinburgh.

One of the world’s leading Helen Hopekirk scholars, Hannah Roberts gives a free public lecture-recital exploring the folk roots of Hopekirk's music, performing her work and unpacking the Scottish songs and Celtic traditions that shaped it, followed by a masterclass for young musicians.

22 May, Gary Steigerwalt and Dana Müller: A Life in Two Parts: Folk and Classical Inspiration on Both Sides of the Pond, Parish Church of St Cuthbert, Edinburgh.

Flying in from Arizona to give a rare appearance exclusive to the festival, Steigerwalt and Müller are the world's foremost Hopekirk scholars and performers. Steigerwalt’s recording Helen Hopekirk: Piano Music was the first album ever devoted to her music; Müller's research produced the modern performing editions that make performance of Hopekirk’s work possible.

22–23 May, International Helen Hopekirk Competition, Parish Church of St Cuthbert.

A competition for young pianists and organists follows on 22–23 May, placing Scottish repertoire at the heart of young musicians' training. Free and open to the public, closing with a winners' gala concert on 23 May.

24 May, Guided Walk: In the Footsteps of Helen Hopekirk, Portobello.

Explore the birthplace of Hopekirk and the musical life of Victorian Edinburgh.

The Helen Hopekirk Festival is funded by the Hope Scott Trust and by the Cockaigne Fund administered by Foundation Scotland.