LATEST NEWS

It’s slightly hard to believe that we’re already heading into autumn, but whatever the season, you can always guarantee that there’s lots going on at the SCO. Here’s a quick round up of what’s been happening and what’s on the horizon.

Screenshot of our new website

SCO TO LAUNCH NEW WEBSITE

We hope you’ll click with our new website! Scheduled to go live in late September, it’s our ambition with this to be better at telling our site visitors the full story of all the work that the SCO undertakes throughout the year and to help you get to know us and our musicians even better. We will of course also be promoting the many ways you can support us and be offering a selection of SCO recordings and merchandise for sale, so why not have a browse of the new site and let us know what you think? ––––––

Our new website goes live week commencing 21 September

Paul Lewis performs in the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

© Mihaela Bodlovic

SHINING ON AT THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

It’s certainly been a year like no other, and so it could really only have been an EIF like no other, with this year’s Festival consisting of a series of curated digital performances by world-class artists including the SCO.

Naturally, we were delighted that our amazing musicians were able to return to the concert stage and be together (albeit socially distanced) for the recording of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 2 with pianist par excellence, Paul Lewis.

There was more wonderful music to come, with SCO musicians featuring in a series of Chamber Music Soundscapes which were relayed via speakers into Princes Street Gardens.

All of these performances and many more can still be enjoyed at www.eif.co.uk/ whats-on

THE SCO TRUCK GETS A MAKEOVER

The SCO truck has not been on the road much lately, so we thought it was a good moment to treat it to a new outfit. Here it is freshly attired and updated with the new SCO logo.

We’ve also been thinking that we should really give the truck a name that’s a bit more fun than just ‘the truck’ and so we’d love to hear your thoughts on what we should call it. Please email in any suggestions to info@sco.org.uk putting ‘new truck name’ in the subject header. Not only will the best name suggestion grace the truck from now on, we’ll also pop a copy of our new CD of

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos 19 and 27 in the post as a thank you to the lucky winner. Good luck everyone and you can find out more about our latest recordings on page 10.

SCO Violinists Gordon Bragg and Kana Kawashima in Cramond Kirk as part of Doors Open Day

DOORS OPEN DAY

Every September for the last 30 years, architecturally and historically significant buildings all over Scotland have opened their doors to the public for free over one weekend. This year, Doors Open Day has moved online, and the SCO is delighted to have been able to collaborate with beautiful venues across Edinburgh to create several short chamber performances which will be released as part of the online festival on 26 and 27 September. Keep an eye on our social media for these special performances, including some 19th century cello quartets and a concert from our Big Ears, Little Ears team. ––––––

See www.doorsopendays.org.uk for more information

PAST PERFECTION FROM THE SCO AT THE BBC PROMS

This year’s Proms saw the BBC making a virtue of necessity, as they delved into their incredible archive for much of this year’s programme including an SCO concert from 2001. Featuring our much-loved Conductor Laureate Sir Charles Mackerras and the Orchestra in collaboration with renowned pianist Alfred Brendel, this was a joyous and uplifting evening of Mozart, Stravinsky and Schubert.

If you’re quick, you can still listen to this for a short period of time on the Proms’ website: www.bbc.co.uk/proms

Hamish and Su-a

SU-A GETTING MARRIED

A huge congratulations to our wonderful Sub-Principal Cello Su-a Lee on her engagement to folk musician Hamish Napier. We hope you will join us in wishing them all the best of luck and happiness!

NEW FACES AND ARRIVALS

In August we were delighted to welcome our new University of St Andrews Graduate Trainee – Brogan Orkney. Brogan will be with us until April 2021 and will be working closely with our Creative Learning and Marketing teams in that time.

Rachel Spencer and family

Congratulations to Rachel Spencer (Second Violin) and her husband Duncan on the arrival of their baby girl, Ellen Ingrid Maxwell Strachan, at 7.11am on 21July!