FOREWORD

A very warm welcome to the latest edition of SCO News and most importantly from all of us here, an extremely happy New Year!

2016 was an important year for the SCO, one which I hope we will remember as a turning point in our history. It was the year in which we, along with our colleagues from IMPACT Scotland, announced plans to build a brand new concert hall in the centre of Edinburgh. With acoustics and facilities to match the greatest halls in the world, the plan is that the new building will become home to our orchestra – for concerts, recitals, workshops, talks and rehearsals. Furthermore, for the first time in our history, everyone in the organisation will work alongside each other. Not merely a convenient bit of administration, this will allow collaboration, planning, plotting and dreaming on an unprecedented scale! And it is a dream – one which the SCO and our supporters have had for many a year. None more so than our Life President Donald MacDonald, who has worked tirelessly on behalf of us all to help turn dream into reality.

The new hall, will of course, be much more than simply our home. It will be a place for outstanding performances and events from a whole host of musical organisations and partners, encompassing the widest possible range of styles and genres. It will be a place to meet, eat, drink and think – a cultural and social hub in the heart of one of the world’s greatest cultural capitals.

Gavin Reid

We are grateful for the support and of course, funding that has been pledged to date. We have much still to do, but we are confident that our proposals will develop into an inspirational musical powerhouse of which everyone will feel proud.

2016 also saw several brilliant appointments in our string sections. With Benjamin Marquise Gilmore joining us to share leading duties with Stephanie Gonley, Edinburgh-born Philip Higham taking up the position of Principal Cello, Marcus Barcham-Stevens becoming Principal Second Violin and Felix Tanner joining the front desk of Violas, we have a quite sensational team of musicians across the whole orchestra.

Having taken a short break over Christmas, our 2017 concerts started immediately with a sparkling Viennese concert on 1 January in the Usher Hall. With a full schedule of concerts ahead of us over the coming months – including a wonderful tour with Robin Ticciati and the incomparable Maria João Pires taking in Salzburg, Paris, Aixen-Provence, Luxembourg and Rotterdam amongst others – life in the SCO is never dull.

I am particularly looking forward to this year’s annual Family Concerts in February. Stan and Mabel is a delightful story of a musical dog and cat who form an amazing animal orchestra and compete to be the greatest orchestra in the world. With music by the brilliantly talented Paul Rissman and introduced by the wonderful Chris Jarvis – known to young audiences across the UK as creator and presenter of numerous TV shows – it promises to be a fantastic event.

Until then, I hope you enjoy catching up on our latest news and we all look forward to seeing you at one of our concerts very soon.

Gavin Reid

Chief Executive