Breaking: Key Scottish festival shuts down

Supporter of Scotland’s leading festival of vocal and choral music were informed this morning that it has gone out of business after just over a decade.

Here’s what they’ve been told:

24 January 2024 

Dear members and friends of St Andrews Voices 

I am writing on behalf of the Board of trustees to let you know that we have decided, with regret, to  wind up the charity and are now initiating the relevant processes in line with our founding documents  and in dialogue with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). 

There is no doubt that Voices filled a gap in our cultural landscape when it was founded, and we would  like to pay tribute to the vision and creativity of those who brought it into being in 2012 and developed  it over more than a decade, in particular our co-Founders Sonia Stevenson and Dr Michael Downes, and current Director Amanda MacLeod. Over that time though, the University’s Music Centre has ever  increasingly fulfilled much of what was originally conceived as the mission of St Andrews Voices. 

With the opening of the new Laidlaw Music Centre in 2022 and excellent work of the growing team  there, that trend is only set to continue. Over the past year the Board and Director have explored  options for pivoting to a new mission for St Andrews Voices which involved less of a focus on an annual  event, and a broader range of year-round work. 

While we could see much merit in this approach, when surveying the challenges facing the cultural  sector and particularly the increasing difficulty of securing adequate and timely grant funding, after  careful consideration the Board felt that it would not be possible to plan with confidence for an  appropriate programme of activities. 

We are very proud that, over so many years, Voices has hosted some wonderful and memorable  performances, supported artists, launched new commissions and enhanced education, health and  wellbeing in the community. We are also extremely grateful for your loyal support and diverse  contributions to Voices’ successes.  

Fortunately, the work of the Laidlaw Music Centre now ensures that vocal music is better covered in our  area than previously, and we look forward to new opportunitiesto meet up with friends and enthusiasts  under its roof. 

I will write again with an update once the final processes are complete. In the meantime, thank you  again for your support of Voices. 

Yours sincerely 

Alex 

Alex Hayes, Chair, St Andrews Voices 

board@standrewsvoices.com