Performer: Simon Thacker

Symposium Hall is a new 158-seat church conversion venue in Edinburgh’s attractive Hill Square. Its mix of tradition and newness made a fitting venue for the final date in Svara-Kanti’s UK tour. Encoded in the name (svara = sound/notes and kanti = beauty) is the group’s raison d’être; the new territory to be found in the marriage of Indian and Western instruments and traditions.

Coincidence can add resonance to timing. The day after enjoying BBC Radio 3’s Free Thinking discussion about the relevance and future of live classical music, I found myself at just the sort of event that could have informed the debate.

Now in its fourth year, Fringe by the Sea is an enthusiastically supported satellite of the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe. Located 25 scenic miles from the capital, in the beautiful seaside town of North Berwick, it offers a wide variety of cultural events with music at its core. One of four simultaneous events on the evening of Aug 11, Camerata Ritmata drew a large crowd to St.