FOREWORD

welcome again to sCO news

Welcome to this edition of SCO News, the last occasion on which I will have the pleasure to welcome you before I step down as Chief Executive at the end of August. It has been such an honour to get to know so many Subscribers and Patrons over the years, and to feel that there is now a genuine SCO family in which we all play our part.

Looking at the content of this publication, it really is uplifting to see, 23 years on from when I joined the Orchestra, what a vibrant and diverse organisation it is, filled with hugely talented and committed musicians and administrators. I am delighted to be handing over to Gavin Reid who, I know, will bring a wealth of experience, talent and commitment to the SCO.

Two of the musical giants I have had the privilege to work with over my time here have now been lost to us. Sir Charles Mackerras, who died in 2010 (there is a new Mackerras website well worth exploring – www.charlesmackerras.com) and a shadow has been cast by the recent death of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, the Orchestra’s Composer Laureate. Both these great men made defining contributions to the SCO.

One feature of the Orchestra which struck me on arrival in 1993 and remains, is a sense of enterprise and creative energy and there are, and will continue to be new talents – orchestra members, conductors and soloists as well as composers – who will ensure that the Scottish Chamber Orchestra remains one of Scotland’s most exciting and creative cultural assets.

roy mcewan your Orchestra

Roy McEwan Chief Executive