The Saltire Singers

The Saltire Singers was a Scottish chamber vocal quartet based in Edinburgh and established in 1951 by composer and violinist Isobel Dunlop (1901—1975) and opera conductor Hans Oppenheim (1892—1965). The project began as an extension and addition to The Saltire Music Group launched a year prior but outlived the "core" ensemble, subsequently expanded to a quintet, and produced several critically acclaimed records on Deutsche Grammophon in Germany and Musical Heritage Society and Lyrichord in the United States. Both ensembles were created with the support and patronage of The Saltire Society, established in 1936 to disseminate Scottish cultural heritage ("saltire" in the name stands for the St. Andrew's Cross, a national symbol on the Flag of Scotland). The Saltire Singers line-up Original members (on the photo with Hans Oppenheim): Margaret Fraser — soprano Constance Mullay — alto Duncan Robertson — tenor Frederick Westcott — baritone Quintet formation (post-1960s): Patricia Clark — soprano Jean Allister — contralto Edward Darling, Edgar Fleet — tenors Frederick Westcott — bass