Smith’s saxophone and Rud’s art interact at the Edinburgh Fringe

(© Derek Clark)

(Press release): Internationally acclaimed saxophonist Tommy Smith and artist Maria Rud bring spontaneous music and visual images to the Edinburgh Fringe with Luminescence, which runs in St Giles’ Cathedral from Thursday 17th to Saturday 19th August.

Each performance of Luminescence will develop in front of the audience as Smith and Rud respond to each other’s ideas and interact with the architecture and acoustics of the twelfth century building.

Smith has been performing solo concerts in churches and cathedrals in recent years, most recently in Lichfield Cathedral, and having grown up in Edinburgh, he has an affinity with St Giles’.

“It’s had a lot of television exposure over the past year or so, between the late Queen Elizabeth lying in state there and King Charles being presented with the Honours of Scotland a few weeks ago, and people watching at home can’t fail to have noticed its imposing architecture,” says Smith. “From quite an early age I was aware of it and I'd pass it often. Then, the first time I went inside I wanted to play saxophone there and now I have. It’s incredible.”

For Maria Rud, who was born in Russia but now calls Edinburgh home, St Giles’ is the co-creator of Luminescence. Her paintings will be projected onto the cathedral’s east window and having performed Luminescence with Smith in November last year she’s aware of the building’s special qualities.

“It’s a magnificent setting and it gives us a very special feeling to be working in such a wonderful space,” says Rud. “The acoustics are magical and being in this church with such fantastic architecture and such a long history – it celebrates its 900th anniversary in 2024 – you can really feel the atmosphere.”

Smith and Rud first collaborated when Smith, the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra’s artistic director, invited Rud to create images in response to the Orchestra’s Where Rivers Meet series of suites in May 2021. Then, following their previous single performance of Luminescence, they were so enthused that they immediately decided to do a three-night run at the Fringe.

“Images come to me with music,” says Rud. “It is not a single image or a collection of images, but a live "storyboard" in which music plays the role of a script, and in this case the script unfolds as Tommy and I converse through our respective media.”

Rud has worked with musicians before, including a tour with percussionist Evelyn Glennie. These were wholly composed works and it's the improvisational aspect of Luminescence, she says, that she finds stimulating and exciting.  

“There's a sense of danger in creating something from scratch every time," Rud adds. "Each show is definitely unique. There are constants in that Tommy always plays superbly and makes such a wonderful sound and St Giles’ is an attraction in itself. But it’s a show that can only be experienced in a live situation and the audience can be part of that experience. They’ll be blown away by the venue and blown away by Tommy’s creativity and musicianship.”

Luminescence is presented by St. Giles’ Cathedral and supported by Amati Global Investors.

Tickets are available HERE