Sacred Arts Festival in Edinburgh: Scottish Metrical Psalter Celebrating 375 Years

August 13, 2025

Celebrating the Scottish Metrical Psalter
Wednesday 13th August, 7.30pm - 9.00pm
Church of the Sacred Heart, Lauriston Street, Edinburgh EH3 9DJ
Tickets: £18 / £10 (under 18s)

As part of this year’s Sacred Arts Festival, Sacred Heart Church is proud to host a special musical evening celebrating the enduring legacy of the Scottish Metrical Psalter, first published in Edinburgh in 1650.

The evening will be introduced by Revd David Fergusson, Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland, and features new musical settings of psalm texts by young Scottish composers Jonathan Love, Zoe Watkins, and Alexander McNamee—winners of last year’s Young Composers Competition—alongside Edinburgh-based composer Chris Hutchings.

Performed by the Sacred Arts Festival Singers, under the direction of Calum Robertson, the programme also includes a moving arrangement of The Lord’s My Shepherd by John Kitchen MBE, Edinburgh City Organist, as well as the rare opportunity to hear psalms sung in Gaelic.

About the Sacred Arts Festival

The Edinburgh Festival of the Sacred Arts, now in its seventh year, takes place during the middle week of the Edinburgh Fringe. Organised by the Edinburgh Sacred Arts Foundation, it celebrates artistic expressions rooted in the Christian tradition through recitals, exhibitions, tours, and performances held in some of Edinburgh’s finest churches. The Festival offers residents and visitors a unique chance to experience the sacred arts while enriching the city’s vibrant summer cultural scene.

You can download the festival programme by clicking on the link below and book tickets via Eventbrite here.

Photo by Adam Wilson on Unsplash

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