THE INAUGURAL FESTIVAL • SOURCE
It is such a joy for me to introduce you to the Three Rivers Festival – a new initiative, yes, but one that has been on my heart to create for many years. I’d like to tell you a wee bit about my hopes and vision for this year's inaugural festival in the beautiful area of Stirling which I am lucky enough to call home.
To launch our festival, it seemed only right to choose a theme which represents the local landscape feature which inspired our name, the river. As this is our inaugural year, “Source” perfectly represents the feeling we want to curate during the festival in several ways. Of course, it represents new beginnings, the very starting point of a water’s journey. And so for us, it signifies the first foray of this new venture into Stirling’s cultural landscape and Scotland’s musical life as a whole.
Catherine Duncan, Artistic Director
The theme “Source” begs of us many interesting artistic questions. Where is it that we find inspiration? How can that become the source for the art which we want to create? Where does the music which we choose to perform come from? Who wrote it and when, and what is their story? What gave them the impetus to create this work? Is it about a place, a person, a personal experience? Was it written two hundred years ago, or is it a recent composition, or is it being conjured up before our very eyes in the form of improvisation? It is these questions which have been the springboard for our wonderful group of musicians and artists to curate such beautiful and diverse programmes which I believe will be thought-provoking, inspiring, and deeply enjoyable.
Then, where has the momentum to start this new festival been sourced?
In the supporters who are coming together to support the festival in a multitude of ways, organisationally, financially, through spreading the word and sharing the excitement and anticipation.
In the musicians who are rehearsing and preparing with energy, precision and care to make the events of the festival truly stimulating and memorable.
In the composers who are hard at work writing pieces especially for the Three Rivers Festival and which will be heard in the festival for the first time.
In the landscape which provides a constant source of natural beauty. It’s no secret that the environment in which we experience a live music performance influences our perception of it greatly, and we are so fortunate that our festival will take place in one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland, and in a variety of local venues, each which represent an significant place in our local cultural scene.
But no musical circuit is complete until the music being prepared has been shared with an engaged audience. And so, the most crucial “source” for this year’s music-making will be the you, the community. It is through your involvement, attending concerts, listening with an open mind to something new, taking a sense of ownership of this celebration of local culture, sharing your feedback and enjoying all the festival has to offer that the music will be able to truly come alive.
I look forward so much to welcoming you to our inaugural festival, an event which I hope will become a calendar highlight in the Stirling are and in Scotland for years to come!
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Catherine Duncan, Festival Director