Red Note Ensemble

What Red Note Ensemble does

Red Note Ensemble is Scotland's designated contemporary music ensemble, founded in 2008 and registered as a charity (SC045030) and company limited by guarantee (SC355726), headquartered at Summerhall, Edinburgh. The organization performs, commissions, and develops contemporary and new music, operating a portfolio spanning live concerts, large-scale immersive productions, international touring projects, talent development programs, and community engagement initiatives. Its core products include ticketed concerts (priced £5–£17.50 with concessions and free youth access), the seasonal Almanac immersive performance series, signature touring works (Aeolian, Tanz/haus, Deconstructing Pierrot, FLOCK, KEIN, Iconnotations), and large-scale events such as 100 Tubas at Amisfield. Technology integration is limited to live electronics, field recording, and kinetic sculpture elements within performances — not AI or software products.

The ensemble runs a structured talent development pipeline from school-age composers through emerging professionals, including Go Compose! (ages 14–19), Make Your Own workshops, the Noisy Nights open call for scores, Factory Weekend (ages 18–28), Composer Development Workshops, and the Red Note Advanced Academy. Community engagement is delivered through the 5 Places Project, An Easterhouse Children's Manifesto (winner of the 2024 Ivor Novello Award), The Songbook Project, and partnerships with Artlink for inclusive disability arts. Revenue is generated through four streams: ticket sales via Eventbrite and venue box offices, core public funding from Creative Scotland, project grants from charitable trusts (D'Oyly Carte, David and June Gordon Memorial Trust, Aberdeen Endowments), and co-commissioning/touring fees from festivals including hcmf, sound Festival, Lammermuir, and Transit (Belgium). The organization has 11–50 employees and operates as a non-profit without private equity, parent company, or institutional investment backing.

The organization's go-to-market is event-driven: performances are delivered through festival partnerships (hcmf, sound, Lammermuir, Transit, November Music), direct venue programming across Scotland, and international touring reaching the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Norway, Canada, and Germany. Distribution relies on a hybrid of digital channels (website, Facebook, Twitter, Mailchimp newsletter, Eventbrite) and earned media through festival programs and arts press. Marketing is predominantly organic and PR-led rather than performance-marketing driven. Customer segments are bifurcated between demand-side audiences (general concert-goers, contemporary music enthusiasts) and supply-side talent pipelines (emerging composers, young performers/conductors, community groups in post-industrial Scottish communities). The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Ensemble-in-Residence partnership and Scottish Freelance Ensembles Network membership anchor its institutional position within the Scottish classical music ecosystem.

Name

Red Note Ensemble

Legal name

Red Note Ensemble Ltd

Website

https://rednoteensemble.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Red Note Ensemble is a Scottish charity and contemporary music ensemble founded in 2008, commissioning and performing new music across Scotland and internationally while running talent development programs for emerging composers and community engagement projects in underserved areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Music Performance

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (711130), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Performing Arts & Music Lessons (Dance, Drumming, Instrument Lessons, Theater) (THAJAKAC)

Keywords

• Contemporary music performances
• New music commissions
• Talent development programs
• Community music engagement
• Chamber ensemble concerts

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from concert tickets sold through Eventbrite, venue box offices, and festival ticket platforms. Pricing ranges from free to premium (£15-17.50) depending on event type.
2. Public Funding: Core operational funding from Creative Scotland as the principal public funder, with additional support from PRS Foundation Talent Development Network Partner program supported by PPL.
3. Trust and Foundation Grants: Project-specific funding from charitable trusts including D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, David and June Gordon Memorial Trust, Aberdeen Endowments Trust, and others for specific programs like Go Compose! and composer development.
4. Co-Commissioning and Touring Fees: Fees received from co-commissioning arrangements with festivals (hcmf, Transit, November Music, Sound Scotland) for touring productions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Red Note Ensemble performs contemporary and new music concerts and commissions, including large-scale immersive productions and touring projects across Scotland and internationally. It runs structured talent development programs for emerging composers and young performers and delivers community music engagement in schools and underserved areas. Operating as a registered Scottish charity, it combines professional concert performance with education and outreach.

Product overview

Red Note Ensemble is Scotland's contemporary music ensemble (founded 2008) offering a portfolio of performing arts products and services. Core offerings include live contemporary music concerts, large-scale performances (such as the 100 Tubas at Amisfield event), and the seasonal Almanac immersive performance series. The ensemble provides touring projects including Deconstructing Pierrot, Northern Connection, FLOCK, Aeolian, Tanz/haus, New Normal, Iconnotations, and KEIN. Educational and talent development products include Noisy Nights (new music nights with open call for scores), Go Compose!, Make Your Own workshops, Factory Weekend, and Composer Development Workshops. Community engagement is delivered through the Working with Communities Programme featuring the 5 Places Project, The Songbook Project, and collaborations with organizations like Artlink. Red Note Advanced Academy supports emerging professional performers. The ensemble operates primarily as a performing arts organization rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contemporary Music Concerts & Performances Live contemporary music performances presented by Red Note Ensemble across Scottish venues and international touring circuits. Aimed at general concert audiences, festival programmers, and commissioning partners.
• Noisy Nights Informal new music nights providing an outlet for emerging composers to have works performed by Red Note musicians. Features an open call for scores and a 10-minute composer challenge. Aimed at emerging composers and contemporary music audiences.
• Almanac Immersive Performance Series A four-part seasonal immersive performance series by composer Thomas Butler exploring ecological cycles and natural world events through contemporary music, combining live ensemble performance with field recordings, electronics, and site-specific experiences. Aimed at general audiences and festival programming partners.
• Working with Communities Programme Community engagement initiatives including the 5 Places Project targeting five locations in central Scotland, An Easterhouse Children's Manifesto, New Music Makers, and collaborations with Artlink for inclusive arts. Aimed at schools, youth organizations, and community groups in underserved Scottish areas.
• Talent Development Programme Structured development pipeline supporting composers, performers and administrators from school through emerging professional opportunities to national and international touring. Includes Open Call, Open Access, and commissioning opportunities. Aimed at emerging and developing composers and performers.
• Go Compose! 3-day composition course for young composers aged 14-19 in full-time education, culminating in a performed and recorded original work. Aimed at school-age composers.
• Make Your Own Free new music writing workshop introducing participants to composing with Red Note players, with opportunity to write and perform original music. Aimed at beginner composers and community participants.
• Factory Weekend Opportunity for young classical music performers aged 18-28 with interest in contemporary music to develop and perform alongside Red Note Ensemble. Aimed at emerging young performers.
• Composer Development Workshops Yearly residential programme for Scotland-based composers to develop new works with Red Note musicians and mentorship from established composers, culminating in premieres at soundfestival. Aimed at Scotland-based early-career composers.
• Red Note Advanced Academy Programme for talented young musicians from major European conservatoires to develop and premiere new works alongside Red Note Ensemble. Aimed at advanced conservatoire-level students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ivor Novello Award for A Children's Guide to Anarchy (Easterhouse Children's Manifesto)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Royal Conservatoire of ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContemporary Ensemble-in-Residence partnership delivering Leverhulme Conducting Fellowship program. Supports student composers through RCS Composition partnership and provides performance opportunities for RCS students.
• Scottish Freelance Ensembles NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective with Scottish Ensemble, Dunedin Consort, and Hebrides Ensemble developing shared recruitment approaches to broaden access to freelance ensemble work and support workforce diversity.
• ArtlinkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration developing musical conversations with people with severe disabilities at Cherry Road Centre, Bonnyrigg. Partnership on inclusive arts projects including SPIN events.
• sound FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual partnership for composer development programs, co-commissioning, and premiere performances. sound is a new music incubator based in North East Scotland.
• Elbland Kunsthalle RiesaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRe:Found project partnership connecting Methil and Riesa through artistic exchange, new music, and community-led creative work. Supported through Cultural Bridge 2026-27.
• Music FinlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthern Connection project - initiative connecting Nordic countries and Scotland for contemporary music cooperation, enabling commissions, ensemble exchanges, and sustainable touring.
• NatureScotminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Almanac project nature walks and ecological education components, including guided bat walks and RSPB site visits.
• Soundstreams (Canada)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partnership for New Normal project with Ukrainian-Canadian composer Anna Pigdorna and Northern Irish composer Brian Irvine, involving simultaneous workshops streaming between Scotland and Toronto.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ensemble Musikfabrik: German contemporary music ensemble with similar commissioning, touring, and education remit. Comparable scale, repertoire, and international festival partnerships; useful peer for benchmarking European touring and co-commissioning revenue.
• Scottish Ensemble: Scotland's leading string orchestra based in Glasgow, also part of the Scottish Freelance Ensembles Network alongside Red Note. Both are Scotland-based contemporary-classical ensembles sharing funding pools (Creative Scotland), conservatoire relationships, and touring infrastructure.
• Klangforum Wien: Vienna-based contemporary music ensemble with comparable commissioning, electronics integration, and international touring profile. Larger in scale but operates the same core mission of developing and performing new music.
• London Sinfonietta: UK's leading contemporary music ensemble based in London. Comparable in mission — commissioning, performing, and developing new music — and similarly funded by Arts Council England and trust foundations; Red Note is effectively its Scottish counterpart at smaller scale.
• Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG): Leading UK contemporary music ensemble commissioning and performing new works since 1987. Comparable artist development programmes, similar funding model (Arts Council, trusts), and similar repertoire focus on living composers.
• Ensemble Intercontemporain: Paris-based contemporary music ensemble founded by Pierre Boulez, comparable mission in commissioning and performing new works. Useful European peer for benchmarking public subsidy scale and international touring networks.
• International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE): US-based contemporary ensemble with strong commissioning and emerging-composer development focus. Comparable artist-led model, repertoire focus on living composers, and digital/ticketing integration via Eventbrite-style platforms.
• Dunedin Consort: Edinburgh-based early music and contemporary ensemble, also a member of the Scottish Freelance Ensembles Network with Red Note. Shares freelance musician recruitment approaches and Creative Scotland funding relationships, though focused on historically-informed performance.
• Hebrides Ensemble: Scottish contemporary chamber ensemble with overlapping repertoire, touring footprint, and creative learning programmes. Both ensembles are members of the Scottish Freelance Ensembles Network, share Creative Scotland core funding, and commission new works from emerging composers.

Others

• Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS): Red Note's Ensemble-in-Residence partner and primary education counterpart. While not a commercial peer, RCS is the key institutional partner supplying emerging composers, conductors, and performers into Red Note's talent development pipeline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/rednoteenemble
• Facebookfacebook.com/201950323172749
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/red-note-ensemble-ltd

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Red Note Ensemble