Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Proud Mother Or Should It Be Proud Mary?

Cannot put into words how delighted I am to see my daughter, Marissa's photograph on the RCS website publicising The Speculator by David Greig.  Hold on to your dreams Marissa.  Such a special moment for me to savour seeing that wee face up in the spotlight.  You can view online via RCS website as no audience permitted to show due to Covid Restrictions.  Marissa has had such a fantastic time at the RCS and I cannot believe that she is in her last year.  Sending all good wishes to the wonderful staff and her fellow classmates who have made every day that bit more special throughout the last three years.  You can follow link to RCS website to view production details and publicity photo.

 https://www.rcs.ac.uk/box-office/event/the-speculator-244805/ 

Monday, November 23, 2020

LIVE AT THE STUC 2020

 I had the most wonderful time at the STUC Live 2020 virtual recording on Friday 20 November.  The event was hosted by the wonderful Elaine C. Smith to include Janey Godley, Barbra Dickson and her son Archie Cookson, Arthur Johstone, Iona Fyfe, Victoria McNulty, Rosa Moxham, Mark Thomas and the house band Rab Noakes, Stephen Wright and Fraser Spiers.  You can still catch the recording on Youtube.  

The link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhdMsORGfkc


Sunday, October 18, 2020

Scottish Jazz Awards 2020

 


So delighted to be hosting Scottish Jazz Awards 2020 with Luca Manning.  You can watch live from 6pm Sunday 18th Ocober 2020. https://www.jazzfest.co.uk/  The fantastic Fergus McCreadie and Laura Macdonald will also be playing live.  Huge thanks to Jill Rodger for organising such a wonderful event. https://t.co/4UMHvYqXib

Friday, September 25, 2020

BBC Radio 4 Saturday Live with Richard Coles and Marverine Cole Saturday 26 September 2020

 Delighted to be joining Saturday Live on Saturday 26th September between 09.00 am - 10.30am as part of the lineup.  Joining the conversation will be Cressida Cowell, current children's Laureate and Rob Halford from Judas Priest along with Jessi Gutch and Lexicographer Susie Dent.  Lovely programme to be invited to guest on.  Hope that you enjoy listening.  You can follow links to Radio 4 via bbc.co.uk/saturdaylive to tune in or listen at your leisure on catch up.  


https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000my17


https://twitter.com/SuzanneBonnar3



Thursday, August 20, 2020

Edinburgh International Book Festival 2020


Super-excited to be a part of this event at EIBF 2020 with beloved Makar, poet Jackie Kay and US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, the first Native American to hold the position.  What wonderfully inspiring women Jackie and Joy are.  Huge thanks to EIBF and Makar to Makar for asking me to be a part of this event.  

Suzanne Bonnar & Joy Harjo with Jackie Kay


Event on Thursday 20 August 19:00 - 20:00

Watch via EIBF and Youtube.










Follow links to watch

https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival/whats-on/suzanne-bonnar-joy-harjo-jackie-kay-makar-to-makar-sonnets-from-scotland 

Friday, August 14, 2020

Creative Lifeline...Makar To Makar 2020




Episode 14 of Makar to Makar Hosted By Jackie Kay with Liz Lochhead, Katherine Philpott and Claire Brown.  An honour to sing Eriskay Love Lilt in honour of the late great John Kay.  What a gift it has been to be involved in this wonderful project.  Deep gratitude and heartfelt thanks to my beloved friend and Makar Miss Jackie Kay and team; Denise, Euan, Winnie and Colin for making Makar to Makar such a memorable experience.  Here's tae us.  Wha's like us.  




How to watch  http://www.makar2makar.com/how-to-watch.html and National Theatre of Scotland Youtube Channel







Thursday, July 23, 2020

Makar To Makar Thursday 23 July


Thursday 23 July Makar To Makar Episode 11 with host Jackie Kay, Suzanne Bonnar, Ross Wilson and Colin McGuire. 
In this episode I sing Freight Train by Elizabeth Cotten and original by Suzanne Bonnar entitled Dunoon (The Alchemy of a Nautical Star)

Thursday, July 16, 2020

UN Nelson Mandela Day Glasgow 18 July 2020.

Virtual celebration on UN Nelson Mandela Day in drive for a Scottish people’s statue

Date: Thurs 16 July 2020

The Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation (NMSMF) is marking United Nations Nelson Mandela International Day on 18 July with an online celebration and is calling on people in Scotland to join the push to fund a statue of Mr Mandela in Glasgow along with a long term education project in Scottish schools.

Covid-19 restrictions mean that the usual event at Glasgow City Chambers is being replaced by an online event at 1pm on Saturday 18 July - on YouTube at https://youtu.be/QiA3cTciQjohttps://youtu.be/QiA3cTciQjo and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MandelaScottishMemorial/videos/3205095452903966/ - featuring contributions by Brian Filling, Foundation chair and Honorary Consul for South Africa, with Foundation patrons Philip Braat, the Lord Provost of Glasgow, and Nomatemba Tambo, the South African High Commissioner.

Other patrons, including Billy Connolly, Sir Alex Ferguson and Andrew Mlangeni, the last surviving Rivonia trialist, will also feature alongside a tribute to veteran anti-apartheid campaigner Denis Goldberg who died earlier this year.

The event will feature music from Scottish singers Suzanne Bonnar and Iona Fyfe and video clips of Nelson Mandela’s visit to Glasgow in 1993.

The Foundation is also grateful to world-renowned saxophonist Tommy Smith and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra for their support for the Foundation as they go online earlier in the day to celebrate Mandela Day with Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ at https://snjo.co.uk/mandela/

Following its launch in 2017 by Sir Alex Ferguson, the Foundation has been steadily raising funds, planning permission for the statue is in place and an education programme for schools is already under way.

Fund-raising has included major events but also individual donations and initiatives like kilt walks and birthday and retirement donations. The push is now on for the £30,000 needed to reach the target to commission the statue.

Brian Filling, NMSMF Chair and Honorary Consul for South Africa in Scotland, said: “While Mr Mandela was in prison, many ordinary people in Scotland organised and acted to make sure the world would know about him and the fight against Apartheid.

“That’s why we want today’s generation to join us in raising the funds to make this statue one that they can see as theirs – a ‘people’s statue’ to remind future generations of the key part Scotland played in taking action for human rights and challenging racism, and on taking action for a better world.”

Scotland was at the centre of the campaign for Mr Mandela’s release from prison. The first ever freedom of a city for Nelson Mandela came from Glasgow. It kick-started 2,500 mayors from 56 different countries eventually signing a declaration to the UN in 1981 demanding his release.

The pure Glasgow gesture of renaming the home of the Glasgow South African Consulate as Nelson Mandela Place in 1986 won worldwide acclaim – and Mr Mandela never forgot it as he told the 15,000 crowd in Glasgow when he visited the city in 1993.

Donations to the to the campaign can be made online at https://mandelascottishmemorial.org/donate