A UNIQUE music festival which is held in East Lothian each year has won a prestigious award at the ‘Oscars’ of the classical music world.

The Lammermuir Festival, which was founded in 2010, brings together classical performances and historic venues.

Held in the county every September, it attracts visitors from around the world as choirs, orchestras and ensembles perform in churches, grand houses and other venues.

Last Tuesday evening, the festival was named as the winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Music Award for a Concert Series or Festival at its annual awards in London.

Considered to be the highest award in the United Kingdom for live music events, the festival beat off competition from the Cheltenham Music Festival, the Philharmonia Orchestra and Welsh National Opera.

Lammermuir Festival’s co-artistic directors Hugh Macdonald and James Waters said: “It’s hard to believe that only seven years since we sat around a kitchen table planning our first Lammermuir Festival we have been given this wonderful accolade.

“It has been our great fortune to have the evocative landscape and beautiful buildings of East Lothian to inspire us, as well as the joy of producing the festival with such a superb group of colleagues. It has truly been a labour of love.

“We thank our funders for their continuing generous support, our performers for their great artistry and our enthusiastic audience who we have come to think of as family.”

The Lammermuir Festival was established to bring the finest musicians to towns and villages across East Lothian, promoted by the strapline of ‘Beautiful Music in Beautiful Places’.

Both East Lothian Council and Creative Scotland have supported the festival over the past seven years and were delighted to hear the news of the award.

Councillor John McMillan, who served as the East Lothian Council’s economic development and tourism spokesperson during the last administration, said: “It is a richly deserved accolade for providing beautiful music in so many of East Lothian’s beautiful places. There is more to come and I look forward to welcoming the award-winners back to Haddington and hearing of their plans for September’s Lammermuir Festival. Congratulations to all.”