Events – Current
Events for 2026/27
Friends Annual General Meeting : Wednesday, 18 November 2026
The Friends of the Edinburgh University Library AGM will take place at the Centre for Research Collections, 6th Floor, University of Edinburgh Library, on Wednesday, 18 November 2026 at 15:00. This will be followed (at 15:30) by Printing Euclid: The Renaissance Making of Proof, a talk by Dr Richard Oosterhoff of the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh.
The talk will explore early modern cultures of knowledge, especially science. Dr Oosterhoff will show how the art of printing in Renaissance Europe contributed to the idea that mathematics should be, above all, a matter of proof. We will look at some of the most beautiful products of print that we have in Special Collections.
Attendees are encouraged to bring guests. Refreshments will be served following the AGM and talk.
Please let us know by Friday, 6 November if you can attend by emailing to Alason Roberts, Administrator to the Friends ( a.roberts@ed.ac.uk ) or write to Alason Roberts; Friends of EUL; Main Library; University of Edinburgh; George Square; Edinburgh EH8 9LJ
Joint Event with the Friends of the Edinburgh University Library and the Friends of St Cecilia’s Hall
‘A Concord of Sweet Sounds’ -The Dolmetsch Lute book in Context and Performance: Eric Thomas
On 7 September 2026 our joint soiree with the Friends of St Cecilia’s Hall at St Cecilia’s Hall celebrated celebrate the lute manuscript to which the Friends of Edinburgh University Library contributed £10,000. Eric Thomas was our soloist and guide and there will be a chance to view the manuscript as we gathered.
The 17th century lute manuscript, was purchased with support from the Friends of Edinburgh University Library and the Friends of St Cecilia’s Hall. The manuscript is one of the most important surviving sources of music for the lute, a very popular instrument in the 1600s and 1700s. It was made in Bavaria in about 1620 and is still in its original binding. Written in French lute tablature – an early notation with similarities to modern guitar tabs – the music is international, including pieces by French, Italian and British composers. There are 320 works, 89 of which are not found in any other manuscript and it contains the famous Lachrimae pavan by John Dowland, one of the most significant composers of the day.
Eric Thomas is a lutenist based in Edinburgh. He studied music at Edinburgh University, dividing his time between performance, composition and musicology. As well as his activity in performance and research, Eric is an active teacher, founding the Bruntsfield Guitar School and is also a guitar tutor at Portobello Music School.
