VoxCarnyx

KEN WALTON has written professionally on classical music for nearly 40 years, and since 1999 as classical music critic of The Scotsman. He began his journalistic career as Scottish music critic of the Daily Telegraph, also contributing to the Herald, Sunday Times, Observer Scotland, Classical Music Magazine, Opera Now and as a broadcast reviewer for BBC Radio Scotland. After sensibly ditching early aspirations as a violist, Ken studied organ and piano at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester before undertaking further musical studies at the University of Glasgow. He has held senior posts in music education, arts administration and PR, and served on the BBC‘s Scottish Music Advisory Committee.

KEITH BRUCE was arts editor of The Herald from 1994 to 2017, the second, the longest-served and still the last journalist to hold that title. Since leaving the staff of the paper he has continued to contribute reviews and features, mostly concerned with music and opera, on a freelance basis. Keith’s journalistic career began at the end of 1979 after some studies at the University of Glasgow, and has always included a healthy quotient of arts content alongside the humdrum business of news, politics, fat-stock prices and a little light sports reporting. His musical life began as a boy chorister, reaching a pinnacle with appearances at both the Edinburgh International Festival (under the baton of Alexander Gibson) and Fringe (Donald Swann) in 1969. Subsequently seduced by the world of popular music, he still owns a saxophone, but, as a true gentleman, rarely plays it.