‘Scottish Tides – Polish Spring’ is the motto of a major Polish cultural festival which has been inaugurated in Perth, eastern Scotland.

The event is to highlight the diverse links between Poland and Scotland dating back to the sixteenth century.  The programme of the festival includes concerts by the Polish pianist Piotr Anderszewski with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, performances of Gorecki’s music by the Pomeranian Philharmonic and the Hebrides Ensemble and of Karlowicz’s works by the BBC Scottish Symphony. 

‘Scottish Tides – Polish Spring’ also features music groups -  the Warsaw Village Band and Kult, multi-media installations, cabaret shows and Polish films. Sponsored by the Scottish Council for Culture and the Arts, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw, the Polish Cultural Institute in London and the Polish Consulate in Edinburgh, the festival is part of ‘Homecoming Scotland 2009’, a cultural programme organized by the Scottish government to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of the poet Robert Burns. (mk)