"Raymond MacDonald co-leads The Burt/MacDonald Quartet and is a founder member and key player in The Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra. He also performs with The Scottish Jazz Composers Ensemble and the saxophone quartet Rich in Knuckles. He has recently collaborated Lol Coxhill, Keith Tippett, Harry Beckett, Evan Parker, Gunter Baby Sommer, Fred Frith, Keith Rowe, George Lewis, Maggie Nicols, Satoko Fujii, Ken Hyder, Natsuki Tamura, Steve Beresford, Mike Zerang, and Fred Longberg-holm.

Other work includes composing and performing for film, television, theatre and collaborations with visual artists, including commissioned work for Martin Boyce, Simon Starling and Christine Borland. He collaborated with David Byrne on David McKenzie's film Young Adam.

In December 2005 he made a solo tour of Japan and in July 2006 performed with Josh Abrams and Miguel Carvalhais at The Glasgow International Jazz festival."

"Cliona Cassidy is a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music and has studied with Jennifer Hamilton in Dublin, Amelia Felle in Italy and Caroline Crawshaw in the UK.

Operatic roles performed include the title roles in Beatrice di Tenda (Opera South), Alcina (Opera in the Open) and Lucia di Lammermoor (Wilmslow Opera), Adina in L'Elisir d'Amore (Laboratorio Lirico Internazionale, Belvedere Langhe), Pamina in The Magic Flute (Opera by Definition), Irene in Tamerlano (RNCM), Dorabella (Teatro Mancinelli) and Despina in Cosi' fan Tutte (Opera in the Open), Serafina in il Campanello di Notte (Anna Livia International Opera Festival), Rosina in The Barber of Seville (Laboratorio Lirico Internazionale, Belvedere Langhe), Gretel in Hansel and Gretel (Opera in the Open), Sesto in Giulio Cesare (Opera in the Open) and Daphne in Apollo and Daphne (5 Lamps Festival Opera).

For Scottish Opera she has covered the roles of Jano (Jenufa), Aunt (Madama Butterfly) and First Bridesmaid (Le nozze di Figaro).

Oratorio work includes Orff's Carmina Burana, Mozart Mass in C minor, Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Haydn's Nelson Mass and Creation,and Brahms' Requiem. She has worked as a chorister for Opera Ireland and currently sings regularly in the chorus of Scottish Opera.

Cliona has performed Judith Wier's orchestral song-cycle Natural History with the RNCMSO, introduced by the composer, and again with Derby Concert Orchestra, and performed the role of Anna/Speaker in James MacMillan's Parthenogenesis, which was recorded live for BBC Radio 3 and the South Bank Show.

Cliona was a finalist in the City of Bologna Baroque Opera competition 2009, the Ritorna Vincitor international opera competition 2010 in italy and was a member of the Artist's Panel for Dublin City Council from 2011-2014."