FREE LUNCH TIME RECITAL EDINBURGH ST GILES CATHEDRAL -Everett Chorale

St Giles’ Cathedral, founded in 1124 by King David I, has stood at the heart of Edinburgh’s history and spiritual life for over 900 years. One of Scotland’s most important medieval church buildings, it has witnessed many defining national events, from the Reformation under John Knox to recent royal ceremonies. Today, its magnificent architecture and exceptional acoustic make it an inspiring setting for choral music. We are delighted to welcome you to this free lunchtime recital in one of Scotland’s most treasured historic landmarks. While admission is free, donations towards the ongoing work and preservation of St Giles’ Cathedral are warmly welcomed.

The Everett Chorale from Washington State brings its vibrant community spirit to Edinburgh with a program blending American choral traditions and Celtic influences. Known for its stylistic range the ensemble performs spirituals, contemporary American works, folk settings, and beloved melodies such as Amazing Grace and Loch Lomond. With a mission to inspire and connect through culturally diverse repertoire, the Chorale reflects six decades of musical dedication.

Repertoire will include: Ames: Amazing Grace / Quigley: Steal Away / Wyers: The Waking / Carlise: Crowded Table / Barnum: She Walks in Beauty / Ešenvalds: Be Thou My Vision / Flummerfelt: O Danny Boy / Pink Zebra: Fly Away Home / Quick: Loch Lomond / Rutter: A Gaelic Blessing / Wasburn: Tell My Ma

The Everett Chorale from Everett, Washington (USA) is celebrating their 60th Season. Known for their variety of repertoire, the Everett Chorale is a true community choir with members of many walks of life and generations. The Chorale performs three major concerts per season and also performs at many civic events and sings the national anthem for our sports teams. Our mission is to engage, inspire and educate our singers, audiences, and community through the power of musical performances emphasizing a historically and culturally diverse repertoire.

Dr. Heather MacLaughlin Garbes is currently Affiliate Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, where she helped develop and maintains the UW Baltic Choral Library. She is also Founder and Artistic Director of the Mägi Ensemble, a professional women’s ensemble that performs and records Baltic music from the countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Dr. MacLaughlin Garbes has presented at ACDA National and Divisional and College Music Society’s National and International conferences, the Library of Congress, the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies International conferences. She co-authored the chapter “Baltic Languages: Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian” in the book The Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet in the Choral Rehearsal (Scarecrow Press). Heather has conducted numerous collegiate and community ensembles in the Seattle, Chicago, and Houston areas and also currently conducts the Everett Chorale, the Finnish Choral Society of Seattle and Seattle’i Eesti Koor (Estonian). Dr. MacLaughlin Garbes has had the honor of being a preparatory conductor for the 2013 and 2018 Latvian National Song Festival, the 2024 and 2019 Estonian National Song Festival and the 2014 and 2018 Lithuanian National Song Festivals as well as the Artistic Director for the 2026 and 2021 West Coast Estonian Days Song Festival.