Comfort of Voices is an inspiring professional development event to support Scotland’s singing leaders. It will be valuable to song leaders at all levels of experience and across all musical genres and types of singing group.
Join us for a day of song sharing, discussion, and networking, facilitated by the Scotland Sings steering group. This will be a great opportunity to meet and learn from other song leaders from across the country, to discuss the issues that affect you as singing leaders and to share your thoughts about how the network can support your professional development and your work.
Contribute: We will be programming sessions throughout the day which will be led by members of the Scotland Sings network. If there are topics you would like to discuss, specific training or learning you would like to receive or lead, or a song you would like to share, please email us before 7th December. Anyone leading activity will be paid for their time. Our steering group will curate the day from your suggestions and ideas, as well as those we’ve collected from previous feedback, and we will circulate the full programme in March.
Date: Saturday 28 March 2026
Time: 10.30am-5.15pm
9.00am: Join us early to sing at the historic Birnam Oak.
9.30am: Registration and hot drinks.
Full schedule to follow in March.
Venue: Birnam Arts Centre, Station Rd, Birnam, Dunkeld PH8 0DS
Google maps link
What three words location
See travel and access info below
Capacity: 100 people in person, unlimited online. We’ll keep a waiting list if places fill up and will ask everyone to reconfirm their attendance in February in case your plans haved changed. If you can’t attend in person, you can join online.
Cost: This event is FREE for song leaders working in Scotland. There are bursaries available to support travel, accommodation and access needs. Please tell us what you need on the booking form.
What’s included: Soup & sandwich lunch, and snacks and hot drinks will be provided throughout the day.
Donations: If you would like to support the project with a donation, we will send you a link to do that with your booking confirmation.
Watch the 2022 Comfort of Voices film to get a feel for what the day might be like.
Register to take part
Travel & access info
Scotland Sings is funded by Creative Scotland and we have an access budget. If you need assistance with travel, accommodation, child care or other costs so you can attend, please tell us on the registration form. Please ask us if you would like us to help you plan your travel – we’ll be happy to help.
Access
Entrance: Using the touch pad, enter via the large glass doors to the right of the main entrance.
Toilets: There are two accessible toilets within the venue, one on each level.
Lift: There is a lift between the ground level and first floor.
Ramps: There are ramps situated throughout the building to enable easy access from the Café to the Box Office and Shop, as well as on the first floor to go from the Gallery to the Meeting Room.
Baby changing: Facilities are available on the ground and first floor within the Accessible Toilet. High chairs are located within the cafe.
Parking: There are two accessible parking spaces directly in front of the venue, however these cannot be reserved in advance. There is a gentle slope from street level up to the accessible entrance. We are looking into where the next option for dedicated accessible spaces is near the venue.
Sound: There is a hearing induction loop in the main auditorium, where we will be holding our larger sessions.
The floor plan of the venue can be viewed on their website.
Travel – By Train
Based on the November 2025 timetable, it is possible to arrive at Dunkeld & Birnam station around 8.30am from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness. There are later trains which arrive at 10.18am from all of the above except Inverness.
Dunkeld & Birnam station is a 6 minute walk away from the venue. Watch a video of the route at the end of the page.
Travel – By Car
Parking
There is free on-street parking on Station Road right outside Birnam Arts. Once full, there is ample free parking along Perth Road.
There are two accessible parking spaces directly in front of the venue.
Travelling from the north
Travel on the A9 until signposted for Dunkeld & Birnam.
Turn left off the A9 onto the A923 and then right onto Perth Road through the town and turn right onto Station Road.
Travelling from the south
Travel on the A9 until signposted for Dunkeld & Birnam.
Turn right off the A9 onto Perth Road, continue on Perth Road through the town and turn left onto Station Road.
Local area info
Local shop in Birnam – Birnam Village Shop open 6.30am-9pm, less than 1 minute walk from the venue.
Local cafe in Birnam – Birnam Oak Cafe open 9.30am-4.30pm, 2 minutes’ walk from the venue.
Dunkeld has more cafes and shops, the Aran Bakery comes highly recommended!
There are a few B&Bs and small hotels located nearby in Birnam and Dunkeld.
The nearest larger chain hotels are located in Perth with a Travelodge and Holiday Inn Express approximately 30 minutes’ drive away.