Thursday March 26th 2026
Melrose Music Festival
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A Borders music festival has been granted funding of £30k “in principle” over three years – despite concerns raised over its programme being high brow and “too niche”.
The Melrose Music Festival is a flourishing week-long celebration that brings the historic town to life with an eclectic mix of choral, orchestral, and jazz performances.
Founded in 2017, the festival has quickly established itself as a premier cultural destination, recognised for its commitment to high musical standards and artistic excellence.
When members of Scottish Borders Council’s William Hill Fund Sub-Committee met on Wednesday, March 25, they were asked to agree a funding application for £10,000 annually over the next three years.
Members approved the funding “in principle” but stipulated that each year a review takes places to confirm funding for the following year, with the first review before next Christmas.
That decision came after concern was raised that the funding bid benefited the wider Borders and was not specifically Melrose-centric.
The William Hill Trust Sub-Committee is a local government body under the Scottish Borders Council umbrella responsible for managing funds to specifically support community projects in Melrose and the surrounding district.
There was also the suggestion that its programme was based largely on classical music performers, and that it needed to be more diverse.
Councillor John PatonDay said: “I just wonder how niche it is, the music. From what I’ve seen before it is mostly classical and I do have concerns.”
The festival’s artistic director, Robert Marshall, responded, refuting claims that the festival was “too niche”, saying: “On the diversity of the festival, yes there is classical music but we talking about the cultural life of the Borders so classical music is involved in that as we have a very rich history in that.
“But it is also pretty diverse. We have jazz and folk, which are very well supported by the local community. We also have through Vibe in the Borders a really unique and amazing programme for kids not necessarily in mainstream schooling.
“We did last year involve Tweedbank and Melrose primary schools in the vocal workshops and these were life-changing for some.
“We will be calling ourselves from later this year the Borders Music Festival and our audience base is drawn from all over the Borders but it is performed in Melrose, for the benefit of Melrose residents, so it’s a win-win.”
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