The Celtic Connections show bringing Scotland and Egypt together

Laura and Sarah Ayoub have performed at the King's Scottish coronation, taken to the stage at a packed Royal Albert Hall and toured around the world.

However the siblings are set to have their nerves jangling more than ever before - by putting down their instruments and sitting in the audience.

The sisters are headlining a major show at this year's Celtic Connections festival, with the first half featuring them playing violin and cello as usual.

In the second half they will watch the BBC's Scottish Symphony Orchestra premiere Arabic Symphony - the largest work the duo have ever written.

"It's a mix of feeling terrified but also excited, to know that other people will get to hear it for the first time," says Laura, the younger of the sisters.

"It will be very emotional. We had two hours with the SSO in October for a bit of a workshop and I don't think either of us slept the night before.

"It was just the idea these orchestral musicians were going to be playing our score and judging it. We did some rewriting after that, so the City Halls will be the first time we have heard the finished version."

The symphony will premiere at the City Halls on 23 January and is described by Laura as a "creative labour of love".

It is the latest chapter in a decade long career for the sisters, who grew up in Bearsden near Glasgow.

They took up musical instruments as children, and by their teens were performing wherever they could, from school orchestras to choir rehearsals.

Sarah then attended the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow and Laura went to the Royal College of Music in London.

Mainstream attention arrived when Mark Ronson heard them perform an orchestral cover of Uptown Funk, his pop smash hit featuring Bruno Mars.

Suddenly the sisters were hearing their music used as part of the Brit awards. A deal followed with Decca Records, then their debut album topped the classical music charts in 2017.

Throughout it all, the sisters have kept mixing up styles - letting pop mingle with classical, and Western music meet Arabic influences.

"I think it's really important to acknowledge where you have come from," says Sarah.

"We were born and raised in Scotland, and are very proud Scots, but our parents are from Cairo and we have generations [of family] going back through Egypt.

"We'd visit family there as youngsters and were totally immersed in that culture as well. We have tried to really tap into who we are as musicians and as people, and find common ground between those cultures.

"Scotland and Egypt are much more similar than you would think."

Both sisters feel music can bring cultures together. Although neither of the duo still lives in Glasgow, they feel diversity in the city is something to be celebrated, despite it becoming a political topic recently.

"Glasgow will always feel like home," says Sarah.

"I'm always pleasantly surprised by the diversity now. Going back 25 years to when we were at school and what the classes looked like, all of our school friends looked like, and comparing it to now – there's more faces, more languages.

"Scotland is a hub of culture and diversity. I think that's a great thing."

The duo have had some diverse experiences themselves.

A trip to Egypt saw them headline Cairo Opera House, while they performed at the coronation of King Charles in Edinburgh.

Yet Sarah recalls not everyone was thrilled at her and Laura pursuing a career in music.

"Being from a Middle Eastern family, there were certain expectations on what career path you should follow, and what is respectable and what isn't," she recalls.

"There are certain pressures there. Everyone is very proud now though! The narrative has changed – someone told me I hope my kids become like you, and I was like 'are you sure?'

"That's been an interesting change from being told it wasn't a good idea to do music as a career!"

The past decade has brought disappointment too, including being dropped by Decca.

However, Laura feels even setbacks have helped in the long run.

"We were fortunate to be signed to a major label early on, but I'm equally proud that once we got dropped we didn't give up. We carried on without external help."

Both sisters are adamant young musicians need support in how to navigate the music business, and both have also championed the role of music in schools.

"We know first hand how crucial music education is," says Laura.

"The worst thing is when someone approaches it in a really short sighted manner, like the councillor who mentioned kids won't get any benefit from whacking a glockenspiel.

"Music can change people's lives, from playing it yourself to being in a group, to communicating with your peers – everything you need to be a well rounded human being, music can train you in."

Now the duo have plans beyond music, with a podcast launching this year.

Not all their ideas have reached fruition yet, though - despite their many creative pop covers.

"There's things we dabbled with but never finished," laughs Sarah.

"We kept trying an R&B thing with songs by Rihanna, Sean Paul and a couple of others – we parked that for a bit! Maybe 2026 is the year it comes back…"