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Red Note Ensemble is Scotland’s primary contemporary music ensemble. Red Note states that it is "dedicated to developing and performing contemporary music to the highest standards, and taking the music out to audiences around and beyond Scotland."

The Ensemble was founded in 2008 by Scottish cellist Robert Irvine. The company Red Note Ensemble Ltd has been directed since its foundation in 2009 by John Harris (Chief Executive and Artistic Co-Director) and Robert Irvine (Artistic Co-Director). International violinist Jacqueline Shave was appointed as the Leader of the Ensemble in 2011.

Red Note performs the established classics of contemporary music, commissions new music, and develops the work of new and emerging composers from around the world. The ensemble also undertakes extensive audience research, in particular with the St Andrews University, and looks for new spaces and new ways of presenting and performing contemporary music with the aim of attracting new audiences to its work. The musicians of the performing ensemble are drawn primarily from Scotland, and Red Note counts amongst its players some of the finest performers working in the UK today.

Red Note made its debut in May 2008 with a recording of Eddie McGuire’s Carrochan suite for Delphian Records, since which time it has gained profile, support and funding from many sources. The Ensemble's annual programme comprises a Spring and Autumn season each year in Scotland comprising tours, site-specific work and collaborations with other companies, and a regular informal new music series showcasing the work of new composers (Noisy Nights and Noisy Words) in partnership with the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh.

Red Note is also extensively involved in the education sector, particularly at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, at Glasgow University and in collaboration with Woodend Barn and the Sound Festival, Aberdeen, where a particular focus is working with Secondary and Primary school students. Red Note is Associate Contemporary Ensemble at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, and an Associate Company of the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh.