Sir Alexander Gibson was the maestro who founded two great Scottish musical institutions, Scottish Opera and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. In this Carnegie Pioneers podcast, musician and University of the West of Scotland student Ibrahim Dikko dives into the world of classical music as he goes on the trail of a man who made his musical mark on Scotland, and the world after early support from the Carnegie Education Fund.

On his journey Ibrahim meets opera singer Karen Cargill, conductor Sir Donald Runnicles, Sir Alex's son Philip Gibson, Alex Reedijk the Director General of Scottish Opera, and RSNO Chief Executive Alistair Mackie. He also attends his very first opera.

Carnegie Pioneers is commissioned by the Carnegie Education Fund

Production by Soundworks Media Ltd www.wearesoundworks.co

Engineered by Mark Munro

The reader is David Jackson Young.

In Carnegie Pioneers, Tracy Taylor, costume maker at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, explores the career of Winnie Ewing the trail-blazing Scottish National Party politician who won the historic Hamilton by-election in 1967 and served as a member of three parliaments, Westminster, the European Parliament, and the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood. Tracy talks to former SNP ministers Mike Russell and Stewart Stevenson, former deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament Christine Grahame, former SNP deputy leader Jim Sillars, Professor James Mitchell of Edinburgh University and political historian David Torrance. Archive of Winnie Ewing is held at the Scottish Political Archive at Stirling University, and is used by permission of Billy Kay. Carnegie Pioneers was commissioned by the Carnegie Educational Fund Produced by Soundworks Media Ltd www.wearesoundworks.co Engineered by Mark Munro markemproduction@gmail.com

Carnegie Pioneers: Jennie Lee

Robert Gordon University student Nithya Chandrasekaran goes in the footsteps of Jennie Lee – the trailblazing politician who became one of Britain’s first elected female politicians, its first minister for the arts and whose vision was central to the founding of the Open University.