AMPLIFI

The Queen's Hall presents Season 5 of our gig series showcasing the sounds of modern Scotland.

With artists hand-picked by guest curators Arusa Qureshi and Halina Rifai of We Are Here Scotland - staged in our intimate performance space - AMPLIFI presents an exciting opportunity to see new and rising artists in a setting designed to amplify their voices and put them centre stage.

Performers

Bell Lungs

Bell Lungs is the moniker of autodidact Scottish/Turkish vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, composer and improviser Ceylan Hay. Often acting as a conduit for the emotions, her music journeys through various states and landscapes, incorporating strings, woodwinds, spoken word, vocal harmonies and tuned percussion in a mindmelting blend of pitch shifting loops which explore her open ear for the global. 

A frequent collaborator with writers, theatre-makers, scientists, dancers, artists and film-makers, Ceylan is the Musical Director for “Heebie Jeebies”, a trilingual theatre piece for children appearing in the French Institute at Edinburgh Fringe 2025. Her music has appeared on BBC Radio 3, Radio 4, 6Music and Radio Scotland, and she was recently funded by Creative Scotland to record her debut album of avant-pop songs, featuring crumhorns, lute, pipe organ, harp and vintage synthesisers. 

Kevin Leomo

Kevin Leomo is a Scottish-Filipino researcher, curator, and practitioner of experimental music based in Glasgow. He is interested in silence, fragility, quietude, perception, and liminality. He works across text-based scores, non-standard notation, improvisation, field recording, critical listening practices, and installation. Kevin’s practice has been informed by a deep engagement with Wandelweiser. Kevin holds a practice-research PhD in experimental music composition from the University of Glasgow, where he taught for a number of years. 

Kevin is the Community and Engagement Manager for the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Glasgow, where he oversees public engagement and cultural activities, including Thinking Culture and Music in the University. With Zahra Khosroshahi, Kevin co-curates the Creatives of Colour Festival. Kevin is collaborating with poet and writer Maria Sledmere on Project Somnolence, a practice-led research project exploring connections between sleep, ecology, and sound.

Lucian Fletcher

Lucian Fletcher is a Glasgow-based composer and producer. His music features electronic sound design with ambient, IDM, glitch and post-industrial influences. He also creates audiovisual work, live performance and compositions for contemporary theatre and dance.  

Curators:

Arusa Qureshi is an award-winning writer, editor and speaker with a passion for music, diversity and accessibility within arts and culture. Her book about women in UK hip hop, ‘Flip the Script’, is out now via 404 Ink. She has bylines in The Guardian, NME, Clash, Time Out, The Forty-Five and The Scotsman.

Halina Rifai is a podcast producer, music writer, PR & digital marketer. She founded music site Podcart in 2009 and went on to become a podcast producer, working with the likes of The Big Light, The Ferret, Mental Health Foundation, Fringe of Colour and many more.  Podcasts she has worked on and continue to work on include Sheku Bayoh: The Inquiry and A Sonic Hug. Halina is Communications Manager for We Are Here Scotland – A space aimed at supporting and raising the voices of Black People and People of Colour creatives across Scotland.

Supported by Creative Scotland and the City of Edinburgh Council.

Winner of the Creative Edinburgh 'Inclusion' Award.

Presented by The Queen’s Hall and We Are Here Scotland

Supported by