Cantilena consists of a number of professional players, and every year we invite selected Cantilena Scholars from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, some of whom will be experiencing for the first time the concentration and sustained demand for excellence that is required for a week of great music.

Meet our professionals below!

The Cantilena Festival Scholar programme invites string students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland to take part in a week of music-making on the beautiful Hebridean Island of Islay.

We are currently recruiting for our 2026 Scholars and will introduce you to the successful candidates shortly.

Each year, Cantilena auditions and invites a number of Cantilena Scholars from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland to Islay for a unique experience. These young professionals rehearse and perform with us to the highest of standards, but well away from the hustle and bustle of their studies in Glasgow, and where they can learn and share the passion for music in a more serene atmosphere.

These young musicians do not receive a fee, but Cantilena provides their accommodation, travel & subsistence. Hence we are indebted to our sponsors who assist us immensely in giving these students a very special course, one where they learn how to rehearse, how to play different styles of music, and how the dedication to hard work results in shared enjoyment of the music with a highly appreciative audience, some who will be familiar with the music, and some who will be hearing it for the first, but hopefully not the last, time.