Music At The Green

“It’s an absolutely delightful experience—thoughtful, and even a touch surprising.”

Songs from the Last Page

We are thrilled to welcome Gareth Williams back to Partickhill with his unique project, Songs from the Last Page. Songs from the Last Page is a collection written and performed by the acclaimed composer and songwriter, Gareth Williams. Each song takes the last lines of iconic literature - the novels and stories that we love - and transforms these final pages into brand new songs – sung from the piano, and accompanied by violin and cello. Songs from the Last Page allows us to sit just a little longer in that feeling we get from finishing a beloved book, conjuring up moments of simultaneous elegy and regeneration

Gareth describes the inspiration behind the project:

"These songs all begin on the final page of a book. I chose books that I simply didn't want to end. Taking what I found in those final lines—adding nothing and taking nothing away—I built verses, choruses, and refrains. Stories never stay on the page anyway; these ones just became songs."

About Gareth Williams: A songwriter, composer, and Reader in Music at Edinburgh College of Art, Gareth’s work finds new life for opera and song through unexpected collaborations. From serving as the inaugural Composer in Residence at Scottish Opera to his acclaimed Breath Cycle project at Gartnavel Royal Hospital, Gareth is renowned for his ability to transform stories into deeply moving staged works.

Special Guest: Esther Swift Opening the concert, Esther Swift takes to the stage to share her new EP, Moon Dreams. Esther’s performance is at once virtuosic and tender, dramatic and meditative—summoning the old and the new through both familiar and unexpected harmonic shifts, melodies rooted in tradition yet boldly innovative, and vocals that soar with emotional intensity.

“Björk-esque” ★★★★★ — The Edinburgh Reporter