The Scott Riddex Memorial Concert at The Cumnock Tryst 2022

Cumnock is a town that has always fostered a sense of community and coming together. From its ancient Gaelic name and, more recently, to The Cumnock Tryst, the town has been a place of confluence, a meeting place for the rivers Lugar and Glaisnock then and for music now. The Cumnock Tryst has always been a celebration of music and community, and the Scott Riddex Memorial Concert embodies that sentiment to its fullest. The performance will take place Sunday, 2 October, at Dumfries House in Cumnock and will be a celebration of the life of Scott Riddex, a much-loved figure within the community who died too soon in his early forties. He was involved in many musical activities, singing in The Cumnock Tryst Festival Chorus and being a long-standing member of CAMPS (Cumnock Area Musical Production Society). This performance will honour his memory and passions and feature some of the best local talent. In the words of Sir James MacMillan, world-leading composer, conductor, and Founder of The Cumnock Tryst, “this is a concert for and of our community”.

The event, which is one of the highlights of this year’s festival, will see the collaboration of three groups coming together to celebrate their fellow musician and friend. The Ayrshire Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by John Wilson, Scott’s music teacher at the Cumnock Academy, while The Cumnock Tryst Festival Chorus and CAMPS will be conducted by James Macmillan, who has also collaborated with them to create new music especially for this event. James MacMillan reflected on this partnership saying that he “brought these three different groups together who knew or had some kind of connection with Scott in order to pay homage to him and to remember a young man who left us too soon”. The event will reflect this and focus on music that pays homage to Scott, the local community, and the East Ayrshire area.

The performance will be a deeply personal one and feature some of Scott’s favourite pieces like Edelweiss from The Sound of Music and two new pieces composed by James MacMillan for The Cumnock Tryst Festival Chorus as part of A Musical Celebration of the Coalfields. This is a major community project led by The Cumnock Tryst that aims to engage the local communities and restore the coalfield area through the production of new music. All three ensembles will then join together for a performance of Gavin Bryars haunting and iconic modern classic, Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet.

“Scott was a very shy person whose love of music helped him overcome his shyness. All through school he took an active part in choirs, plays and productions- never the star but happy to be there taking part in the chorus. While at university in Edinburgh he continued his choral singing at the church he attended there, and on return to Cumnock he was an early member of CAMPS and really enjoyed taking part in all their concerts and musical productions. They were so very helpful and supportive of Scott as his mobility deteriorated.  When the Tryst came into being he was delighted to be part of the Festival Chorus and loved the rehearsals and performances, and again his shyness was overcome because he was meeting many likeminded people.” – Ruby Riddex, Scott’s mum

“Scott Riddex was a much loved figure. He was involved in CAMPS as one of their enthusiastic members, he sang with our Festival Chorus, he loved music. Scott had special educational needs, but that never held him back from being totally engaged with people round about him, whether it be in his church community or his different musical activities, and he always contributed really well. We’ve brought these three different groups together who all knew or all had some kind of connection with Scott in order to pay homage to him and to remember him, a young man who left us too soon.” - Sir James MacMillan

"I knew Scott his whole life. He was very involved in our church at Old Cumnock Trinity where he served as an elder and Bible Class teacher. Scott was always the one to get us organised every year for our Nativity play. He loved an action song and I will never sing The Twelve Days of Christmas without thinking about Scott and his actions. Scott loved being involved in the church, he loved computers and technology, he loved quizzing, but I think his greatest love was music. I sang with Scott in the United Churches Choir and then in The Tryst Festival Chorus. He was a dedicated member and I doubt if he ever missed a rehearsal. He always gave his best and enjoyed singing with the tenor section. It is an honour to be singing again this year, in this memorial concert for Scott. I am sure he will be looking down with pride on Sunday evening when his favourite groups are all together singing in this concert and remembering him.” - Kay Mitchell, member of the Festival Chorus

“Scott loved music! He was a stalwart, enthusiastic and talented member of the school choir and was at his happiest when participating in the annual school musicals: Oliver!, Calamity Jane, South Pacific and his favourite, The Sound of Music. Scott always brought a smile to rehearsals and, in his senior years at school, he was a positive role model, supporting and encouraging younger pupils to experience the joy of music-making that he so embraced and cherished.” – John Wilson, Principle Teacher of Music during Scott’s time at Cumnock Academy

The Scott Riddex Memorial Concert is one of the unmissable performances at The Cumnock Tryst 2022, a truly exceptional celebration of the life of Scott Riddex and his beloved friends and community. Find out more about The Scott Riddex Memorial Concert.