THE Royal Scottish National Orchestra is opening its new season with its new music director Thomas Søndergård next week.

The RSNO begins its season with a trio of concerts in Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Mr Søndergård has spent six season as the orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor.

He will now appear for ten weeks during his inaugural season as Music Director and begins a cycle of Mahler symphonies with Symphony No 5.

During the first half of the concert Lotta Wennäkoski receives the Scottish Premiere of her composition Flounce, written for the Last Night of the BBC Proms in 2017.

The Swiss pianist Francesco Piemontesi will perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No2.

Søndergård said: "Mahler declared ‘A symphony must be like the world… it must embrace everything.’ I am so grateful to this wonderful orchestra and audiences here in Scotland for embracing me so readily and so completely.”

The RSNO opens the Season at the Caird Hall in Dundee on 4 October and takes the programme to the Usher Hall Edinburgh on 5 October, and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Saturday, 6 October.

He served as Principal Conductor of BBC National Orchestra of Wales from September 2012 to August 2018, and prior to this, was Principal Conductor and Musical Advisor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra for three seasons.

www.rsno.org.uk

THE Scottish Queer International Film Festival 2018 has announced its first event and films.

SQIFF 2018 opens with a night of international short films at the GFT in Glasgow and hosts Scottish premiere of Shakedown, the "intimate true story of the all black, women-owned lesbian strip club in 1990s Los Angeles."

The CCA will host Scottish premiere of Jason Barker's documentary about a trans pregnancy.

The festival will take place from 5 to 8 December at venues across Glasgow.

Tickets to all events are now on sale and are priced on a pay-what-you-can sliding scale of £0-£8 based on individual circumstances.

The full programme for SQIFF 2018 will be announced on 25 October.

SQIFF 2018 is funded by Creative Scotland.

www.sqiff.org

MAGNETIC North has awarded its 2018 Artist Attachment to theatre maker Jenna Watt.

The Magnetic North Artist Attachment is for Scottish-based artists with "a significant track record to have a sustained period of paid time to focus on a new development in their work".

It is designed to allow the recipient to spread six months of dedicated time over an 18 month period.

During the attachment, she will document the process of rewilding in Scotland, and work with communities, conservationists and other custodians of the land across Scotland to create a series of site-specific performances.

Any professional artist based in Scotland with a significant track-record of making work for at least seven years is eligible to apply.

The first Artist Attachment was awarded to visual artist, composer and performer Hanna Tuulikki in 2017.

Ms Watt said: "The Artist Attachment is a unique opportunity to focus on integrating my recent studies in the field of sustainable rural development with my practice as a theatre maker.

"The attachment enables me to dedicate my time to developing an immersive process and to experience the breadth of conservation and rewilding that's happening in Scotland today."

The Artist Attachment award is supported by Creative Scotland and Jerwood Charitable Foundation.

www.magneticnorth.org.uk