About the project

Run by Creative Lives, 'Mouth of the River' was a project that celebrated the Water of Leith, a river that runs through the heart of Edinburgh

Flowing for 24 miles, from the Pentland Hills down to the port of Leith, this well-loved waterway is home to an abundance of flora, fauna and wildlife, and for centuries played a vital role in Edinburgh's industrial life.

With funding from NatureScot, we worked with songwriter Kim Edgar and six choirs who meet at various points along the Water of Leith, to create a beautiful new song called 'The River Speaks'.

The song captures how important our waterways are, especially in busy towns and cities, and the respite they bring to people as they walk along them. You can hear the song, and watch a video capturing the Water of Leith, at the bottom of this page.

Want your choir to learn / perform it?

The song is now freely available for any choir that would like to learn and perform it.

Kim Edgar has created a wide range of free resources (PDFs of scores and MP3s of backing tracks to learn from), so please get in touch if your choir would like to use them.

Choirs in Edinburgh can sing the song as is - while those in other locations, can make tiny adaptations to the lyrics in order to sing it about their own rivers and waterways.

For more information, please contact Kelly Donaldson at Creative Lives on email: [email protected]

How the song came to life 

Stage One - Getting to know the river

Members of six choirs across Edinburgh were invited to learn more about the Water of Leith via audio trails and walks.

Stage Two - Sharing our stories

Thoughts, feelings, memories and anecdotes about the Water of Leith were gathered from the choir members during a series of Zoom meetings, in partnership with songwriter Kim Edgar. 

Stage Three - Songwriting

Incorporating words and phrases shared by choir members during the feedback sessions, Kim wrote a beautiful song, celebrating the Water of Leith and what it means to people. Kim also created a range of helpful resources to help choirs learn and perform the song.

Stage Four - Recording and Sharing

The finished song, 'The River Speaks' was learned and recorded at a 'Come and Sing' session in October 2023 in central Edinburgh. A video of the recorded song, with footage of the Water of Leith, can be seen at the bottom of this page. 

The Choirs

We are grateful to the six Edinburgh-based choirs (all of whom meet in venues along the Water of Leith) who shared their personal thoughts, feelings and memories about the river. These feedback sessions were invaluable to songwriter, Kim Edgar and played a large part in helping her shape the song. 

Pentland Singers Community Choir - The Pentland Singers has a membership of around 85 mixed voices, plus a Junior Choir with around 25 members. The adult choir rehearses on Tuesdays from 7.30-9.30pm at Balerno Parish Church, and welcomes anyone who enjoys singing. 

Springwell Golden Voices - A community choir for older people, Springwell Golden Voices is based in west-central Edinburgh. The choir meets on Thursday mornings and anyone who enjoys singing is welcome to join.

Loud & Proud - Scotland’s first LGBT choir, Loud & Proud has been going since 2005 and its members have a wide variety of singing and musical talents. The choir rehearses every Monday evening in Stockbridge and is always welcoming to new members.

The Welcoming Choir - The Welcoming supports newcomers to learn English, find jobs and access local services in Edinburgh, providing opportunities for friendship, creativity, health and well-being.  The Welcoming Choir is no longer running but may do again in the future. 

The Cheyne Gang - A community singing group for people living with long-term respiratory conditions (such as COPD, Asthma, Bronchiectasis), The Cheyne Gang meets in a number of locations, including Stockbridge and Leith. The group welcomes anyone with a respiratory condition that causes long-term breathlessness.

Phoenix Community Choir - Based in Leith, the Phoenix Choir has a range of voices, from complete beginners to seasoned singers. They meet every Monday evening, everything is taught by ear and new members are always welcome.

The Recording

We brought a group of people together to learn and record 'The River Speaks', expertly taught and conducted by Kim Edgar. Then put it together with footage of the Water of Leith, including some beautiful animal shots captured by Tom Kelly of Go Wild in Edinburgh. We hope you enjoy it!

The Funder

Mouth of the River was supported by NatureScot through their Plunge In! The Coasts and Waters Community Fund. You can read about the other wonderful projects across Scotland funded by Plunge In! here

[Thank you to the Water of Leith Conservation Trust, and photographer Bryce Morrison, for images of the Water of Leith]