Cultural Collaborations

The Byre’s activities are shared and amplified with the Cultural Partners group which includes:

The Music Centre

The Music Centre regularly partners with the Byre to produce the annual Byre Opera production, providing opportunities for students to gain experience of singing on stage with live musicians, working with professional directors, designers and choreographers to create high-quality operatic performances to St Andrews audiences and on tour across the UK. The company’s singers are drawn mainly from the undergraduate and postgraduate student bodies, and casts have also included young professionals from throughout the UK, University staff, and singers from the local community.

Byre Opera

Byre Opera presents professionally directed, high-quality opera, performed in English, to audiences in St Andrews and beyond. Singers are drawn mainly from the undergraduate and postgraduate student bodies, but casts have also included young professionals, University staff, and local amateurs.

Singers benefit from regular coaching from internationally renowned opera singers and coaches as well as the opportunity to work with professional directors, designers and orchestral musicians.

Byre Opera is now in its tenth year and was founded by Music Centre Director Dr Michael Downes.

Find out more about Byre Opera on the Music Centre web pages.

Facebook: byreopera
Instagram: @byre_opera

Museums of the University of St Andrews

Like the University, its Museums are rooted in, and draw, inspiration from more than 600 years of research, teaching, and the pursuit of knowledge for the common good. The Museums’ collections are of national and international interest and importance and consist of around 115,000 artefacts and specimens.

Museum collections are displayed at the Wardlaw Museum and the Bell Pettigrew Museum, stored and studied in a dedicated Collections Centre, displayed across the University campus, and lent for exhibition nationally and internationally.

Libraries

The University of St Andrews Library aims to provide a library service which matches the status of the University as one of the UK’s top universities, with an international reputation for excellence.

Special Collections

The University Library’s Special Collections holds printed books, manuscripts, photographs and the University archive. Built up since the University’s foundation in the 15th century, these collections offer rich opportunities for teaching and research. 

University Sports Centre

Sport plays a significant part in student life at St Andrews and enhances the unique experience of studying at Scotland’s first university. With over 70% of students taking part in sport or physical activity, St Andrews continues to be one of the leading institutions in the UK in terms of sports participation.

Public Engagement with Research

The Byre works closely, and often, with the PER Team to create the circumstances for a mutually beneficial exchange between researchers and the world.

Public engagement with research describes the many ways in which researchers interact with the public. This covers a wide variety of interactions from developing research with community groups, generating discussion about your research through the creative arts, and holding workshops in schools or collaborative projects with prisons.

Wellbeing and Engagement Group

Every month the group organises activities, events and promotions around different health and well-being themes. The Byre consults with this group on a regular basis and works with the developing themes of various programme strands including the monthly Death Café.

Community Engagement and Social Responsibility

The Community Engagement and Social Responsibility Officer plays a key role in creating connections between the Cultural Partners, including the Byre, and our communities.

Corporate communications

Corporate Communications is responsible for managing and coordinating the University’s press and media relations, public affairs, community relations and consultations, corporate and visual identity, web content, new media, social media, print and design, and internal communications.