Illuminata

An alchemy of art and music. Live painting projected onto the interior of the Cathedral with music for cello and voice.
About this Event

The world premiere of Illuminata.

Maria Rud creates a sequence of painted images projected live onto the Cathedral’s interior, akin to a live animation in which music plays the role of the script.

Music by JS Bach, Hildegard Von Bingen, Jack Oades, John Tavener.

Performed by Susan Hamilton (soprano), Lucia Capellaro (cello) and Maria Rud (live painting projected onto the cathedral interior).

An immersive journey. An experience not to be missed.

Presented by St Giles’ Cathedral.

Maria Rud, who lives and works in Edinburgh, has been described as ‘one of the most significant figures on the creative arts scene in Scotland today’. Apart from being a painter, she has also worked in fashion design, book illustration, television, film, stained glass, ceramics and art glass. Maria’s extensive and inspirational body of work, built up over three decades of ceaseless application, echoes seemingly ancient themes while resonating with the present world. She developed “The AniMotion Show” which brings together painting and music in real time. The concept was launched by the National Museum Of Scotland in collaboration with Evelyn Glennie and has since toured in the USA, China and Europe.

Susan Hamilton, the internationally acclaimed Scottish soprano, began her musical career at the early age of eight when she became one of the first girl choristers in the UK at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh. She is a noted soloist specialising in Baroque and Contemporary music and has worked with many leading orchestras, ensembles and conductors. She has appeared at major international festivals in Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada, Mexico and the US including the Edinburgh International Festival, and the Boston Early Music Festival and she broadcasts regularly on both television and radio. In 1996 she co-founded the Dunedin Consort. She is the Artistic Director of the Scottish based early music ensemble Laudonia.

Lucia Capellaro, Glasgow-based multi-instrumentalist, is recognised for her ‘rich-toned cello and viola da gamba playing’ and for pioneering a bold synthesis of historically informed performance and contemporary sound. Rooted in early music traditions, her artistic practice also weaves in eighteenth-century Scottish folk, improvisation, global musical practices, jazz, and live electronics. The result is a sound world that folds centuries-old sensibilities into fearless experimentation - music that feels at once ancient and strikingly new.