Tom Lennie spent most of August attending events at Edinburgh's famed arts festival. Here he files a report on some of the Christian involvement in this year's mega event.

The 60th Edinburgh Fringe Festival has just finished and the city can begin to return to some sort of normality, for a time at least. The Festival, which runs for three weeks each August, is well known for being the largest arts festival in the world. Incorporating the ever popular Edinburgh Military Tattoo from the lofty Castle, the International Film Festival, besides various others, the Edinburgh Festival attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from almost every nation around the globe. Last year, according to the official website, there were "26,995 performances of 1800 shows in 247 venues, and 16,190 performers". The venues include not only halls and theatres, but also many churches, where acoustics are often excellent.

Comedy shows are perhaps the most numerous. I didn't make it to any, but judging from the furore in the mainstream media such shows Jesus: The Guantanamo Year, a semi-political spooftake of Jesus returning to earth for his long-awaited come-back tour, and another We Don't Know Shi'ite - about British ignorance of Islam, the Christian faith continues to be a target for every kind of humanist and irreligious comedy purveyor. Musicals, opera and theatre shows have also been huge in number and this year's mega-batch include a "heavenly new comedy" entitled Man And God as well as three productions of Godspell, the most critically acclaimed being the RP Theatre Company's 90-minute version.

Indeed, it has been well reported that one of the most predominant themes at this year's Festival is religion. With a free Press pass arranged courtesy of Cross Rhythms, I popped along to several events. The Festival Of Spirituality And Peace, held in the magnificent St John's Church at the west end of Princess Street, hosts loads of fascinating talks, conversations, exhibitions and music events. However I did find that they place far more emphasis on a popular notion of "peace" and inter-faith unity than on the message of Jesus being "The Way, the Truth and the Life". I was more taken with the Bible Babel Live, hosted in Old Saint Paul's Church, surely one of Edinburgh's most beautiful, though lesser known churches, tucked in at the side of Carrubber's Close, where a wonderful evangelical revival took place in 1859. Here, speakers took turns to read the Bible from start to finish in 80 hours over 10 days; in languages from Icelandic to Tamil, Polish and Yoruba, Scots and English. Involved in novel proceedings were a sizeable YWAM team from the States - they also ended the day with some acoustic worship songs. (They also led evening worship in my local fellowship on two Sundays, with considerable talent and sensitivity). This truly was an oasis in the frenzy of the Fringe - it's just a pity that more folk didn't pop in to experience it.

St Mary's Cathedral Choir

I attended a half-dozen musical events with a Christian emphasis. One was a weekday service in St Mary's Cathedral, sung by the (apparently) world-famous Cathedral Choir. The Canticles, consisting of "Tomkin's Fifth Service", were melodic and spiritually quieting as its mellow tones echoed up through the cathedral nave. A significant contrast in almost every way was the experience of another choir I went to hear - the Soweto Gospel Choir in Queen's Hall. This South African team were returning to Edinburgh after two previous sell-out Festival appearances and the commodious hall was almost full for the show I attended. The 26-strong group, in equal male/female proportions, donned strikingly colourful apparel and sang with tremendous gusto in Zulu and occasionally in English, accompanied only by a couple of hand-drums. The tunes were rich in harmony - but equally engaging was their varied and constant body movements, as they danced and swayed or occasionally performed acrobatic solo tribal routines. Thankfully, the "gospel" indeed appeared central to the performance - moving songs were sung of God's protection, victory over the Devil, and of salvation in Christ. The group's joyous and sensitive renditions certainly sounded as if each participant had personal experience of what he/she was singing about. Particularly affecting was a lament expressing the pain felt during the apartheid years, when there seemed so little hope for so many. Equally moving was the heartfelt rendering of "Amazing Grace", each verse sung solo, or in duo, by different team members. More jolly was the popular "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", which went down a treat with kids and adults alike. Though only an hour long, it was a truly spell-binding set, and well worthy of the encore which the audience insisted the team return to deliver.

Soweto Gospel Choir

Perhaps influenced by the charisma and earthy rhythms of the Soweto Gospel Choir, I made my way to St Andrew's and St George's Church in George Street to witness Africa's Heartbeat, the UK premiere of the African Children's Choir. This group consists mainly of around two dozen kids from three countries in East Africa - Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda - aged between seven and 11, many of them orphans due to prevalent poverty or disease. The kids were assisted by a smaller team of "Young Africans", men and women in their late teens or 20s who had formerly been part of the Children's Choir. With eye-catching - even dazzling - traditional costumes, which were changed half-way through the show - the two groups led us through a feet-tapping, body swaying set of songs, celebrating the natural world, their African homeland, and, predominantly, God and his blessings. Tommy Dorsey's "If We Ever Needed The Lord Before" was sure to get the crowd clapping, as too, did Andrae Crouch's "Soon And Very Soon". I admit I found one slower-paced song rather long-winded - those with stronger rhythm and beat tended to be much more ear-catching. The joyous, exuberant sounds of the well deserved encore ended a delightful programme of energy and talent.

Jo Mango

T On The Fringe, a sister to Scotland's famous music festival, T In The Park, has, since its inception in 2001, hosted scores of concerts, ranging from world famous artists such as Snow Patrol, Simple Minds, Keane and The Beautiful South - and those are just from this year's listing! They also specialise in supporting up-and-coming and lesser known acts. Thus it was that Irish-born Iain Archer, well known to CR and collaborator with Snow Patrol on their new album, did a one night only T-show on 10th August. Unfortunately I didn't get to it, but heard on good authority that it was a crackin' evening. I did get to see Scots-based Jo Mango though, in the underground vaults of the popular Cabaret Voltaire. Jo is a highly talented singer/songwriter with a strikingly beautiful voice and fine guitar skills. She also plays the concertina. Known to be a Christian, and having played at a number of religious events in Scotland, a subtle yet noticeable degree of Christian spirituality crops up in her thoroughly original music set. She introduced one song as having been composed by "an Israeli shepherd around 3,000 years ago". It turned out to be a most sensitive version of Psalm 13 ("How long will you forget me forever"). This, like much of her repertoire, appears on her recent debut recording, 'Paperclips And Sand'. Numerous other songs, ostensibly of him-and-her romances, carry implicit references to the Divine, eg, "Our little house is a trinity, of you and God and me", while Jo remarks in another song of her battle with the "old man within me". She was accompanied at the Fringe by a full band who played a tight and varied set of eclectic styles. Perhaps the most appealing was when she accompanied herself by plucking on her kalimba (thumb piano), to wonderful effect. A beautiful evening, which was topped by a short personal chat with Ms Mango and a promo TV interview by T-On-The-Fringe staff.

An hour-long multi-media concert entitled Celtic Heart took place in St Cuthbert's Church in mid-August, performed by author Liz Babbs and international flautist and composer Simeon Wood. Visual imagery consisted of tranquil country scenes projected onto a large screen. The audience (slightly disappointing in number), was invited to be quiet to self and to come into a sense of God-awareness. Simeon superimposed various tones - from a total of around eight different woodwind instruments - to a background recording of his own music. Simultaneously, Ms Babbs read a series of meditations (from her new book) - with themes like Spirit of Creation, Rhythms of Rest and Dance of Joy. The wonder of Celtic Christianity, she explained, was that it became palpable to those on the edges of the Church - it consisted, not in church structure, but in a living vitality where all the senses are involved. The overall effect was to give a calming, inspiring and spiritually touching experience - indeed my friend Gerrard was moved to tears, so greatly was he blessed and refreshed. He was also among those who went to chat with the two performers at the close of show, to purchase their goods, and obtain autographs...

Taize For Your Soul was a musical event performed in yet another central Edinburgh church I hadn't previously been in - the acoustically magnificent St Marks. Taize, for the uninitiated, is an ecumenical community established in north-west France in 1940 by Brother Roger. Though often associated with the Catholic faith, and Jesus, Son of God being a central theme to many chants, it was interesting to note that some in the Penicuik group had Buddhist connections. The chants were performed by a dozen members of the Penicuik Taize Vaults Singers, who sing each Sunday by rotation in the ancient vaults of a half-dozen old chapels, palaces and castles in and around Scotland's capital. Surprisingly, the group rarely practises - they learn as they perform. But very talented they were - delivering around 20 chants a cappella or, occasionally, to the tones of a two-fret, 24-string baroque lute! Taize chants are short, melodic and deliberately repetitive, and each was followed here by a long pause for reflection and meditation. Certainly the male and female harmonies were rich and appealing, but as most of them were sung in Latin or Spanish, a translation sheet would have been helpful. It was apparent, however, that most were refrains of praise or prayer. I thoroughly enjoyed the music, as did my friend, who knew several of the songs. But we both found the 75-minute experience a bit long for a one-dimensional repertoire like this - there was no movement and the lack of musical variety and ingenuity led to some in the audience getting a tad fidgety well before the end of the show. Clearly this group are best heard in an echoey underground stone space - where, there's no doubt, their gorgeous tones can be shown off to greatest effect.