Chant revival

CANTY, the recently formed all-female off-shoot of Cappella Nova, have their first CD out and are embarking on a tour under the guidance and to the greater glory of St Brigit of Kildare. The programme from the medieval specialists includes the premiere in modern times of Irish chants, held in the archive of Trinity College, Dublin.

The quartet, accompanied by the clarsach of William Taylor, will be taking their tunes back to the Chapel of Trinity College as well as to Maynooth in Co Kildare, St Brigit's home town.

Before then, however, the girls will be performing in Scotland at Old St Paul's Church in Edinburgh on January 29, and then at Kelvinside Hillhead Church in Glasgow on January 30 - as well as at St Bride's in Fleet Street, London, on January 31. All the concerts are at 7.30pm and tickets are pounds-12 and pounds-9 (concessions pounds-8.50 and pounds-6.50) and tickets are available from the Edinburgh Queen's Hall and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall box offices. Among one of St Brigit's better tricks, by the way, was the miracle of turning water into strong ale.

Fife festival

THE FIFE Festival of music is one of the largest events in the Kingdom's calendar, involving 10,000 community performers during its fortnight. It kicks off on Sunday at 3pm with an opening concert in Dunfermline Abbey that indicates the strong links between the festival and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. As well as organist Carlo Curley, it features RSAMD principal John Wallace on trumpet and renowned vocal tutor Patricia MacMahon accompanied by Water Blair.

The following Saturday, January 29, from 11am to 3pm at St Brycedale Kirk in Kirkcaldy, two of their colleagues are leading workshops - f lautist Ruth Morley, pictured, and Philip Jenkins, the head of keyboard studies. Tickets for the opening concert, priced pounds-10, pounds-8 concessions and pounds-3 for school pupils, are available from the Carnegie Hall box office on 01383 314000 and from 2.30pm on the door on the day.

Mozart memorial

THIS year's Mozart birthday concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, an annual event in aid of Amnesty International and the Young Concert Artists Trust, takes place on the afternoon of Sunday, January 30. It is good to see youthful names championed in this paper, chiefly for their appearances at the Edinburgh International Festival, at the top of the bill. They include pianist LlyrWilliams and the Belcea Quartet, featuring Scot Alasdair Tait on cello. Box office is 08703 800400 or www. rfh. org. uk