Justine Watts

I am very sad to learn that Justine Watts has passed away. 

Photo from Scottish Ballet Orchestra

A few years ago I was asked to contribute an arrangement to "The Lost Songs Of Kilda" (Decca). My track - Dùn - was to feature vocals by the great gaelic singer Julie Fowlis. James MacMillan conducted The Scottish Festival Orchestra (SFO) at a studio in Glasgow. Justine - who was leader of The Scottish Ballet Orchestra - was first violin and she sounded amazing.

Later when I made plans to record my Hamilton Mausoleum Suite at Hamilton Mausoleum itself, I asked SFO cellist and fixer John Davidson to put together a string quartet with harp. I trusted his judgement but I was clear I wanted to enlist Sharron Griffiths (who played beautiful harp on Dùn) and - to lead the group - Justine.

John also brought in Stewart Webster on violin and Emma Peebles (soon to be Emma Connell-Smith) on viola.

L-R: Stewart Webster (violin), Justine Watts (violin), Sharron Griffiths (harp), Emma Peebles (viola) and John Davidson (cello). Hamilton Mausoleum, 11th Nov 2016.

I am a self-taught composer. I listened to very little classical music for the first forty years of my life. It can be easy for me to feel insecure around great, formally trained musicians. But Justine was so gracious - so supportive and respectful of my musical efforts. Wise, hardworking and inspiring; in rehearsal and during the long, cold recording session. I remember her calling a break for her fellow musicians as we neared the end of the session. She sent everyone else out to their cars to get warm. Meanwhile she sat in her scarf and woolly hat with a blanket round her going over the next piece of music to be recorded. Considerate and selfless.

The Herald newspaper interviewed me about the album and I remember Justine was tickled at my description of her as "a lioness".

There is a short film about the recording here:

A little over a year after the recording session we arranged a performance of the suite in Hamilton Mausoleum. Here is some footage with Justine and Sharron performing the first of the two tracks:

I remember Justine enjoyed this short piece of writing by Bernard MacLaverty about the Mausoleum concert. She left this comment on Facebook:

What stunning writing. Absolutely smitten by this. Worth a thousand photographs. And shows exactly what I mean when I say to my youngest to “read a book” not look at a screen. Beautiful x

When I heard about Justine's diagnosis I sent some flowers "to the lioness". I didn't have the opportunity to record with her in recent years although she did keep performing through her treatment. I would see facebook updates and be cheered by the occasional 'like' on a post. 

Now she is longer with us.

My thoughts are with her family, friends and colleagues.