SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Principal Bassoon
Information Pack
Background Information………p1 – p3
Application Form……………….p4 – p6
Equal Opportunities Form…… p7 – p9
SCO News……………………..p11

Background Information

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

The internationally-renowned Scottish Chamber Orchestra is a unique collection of world-

class musicians who inspire and connect with people of all ages. The SCO aims to provide
as many opportunities as possible for people to hear them perform by regularly touring the
length and breadth of Scotland and around the world as proud ambassadors for Scottish
cultural excellence. In recent years, the Orchestra has travelled throughout Europe, the Far
East, India and the USA.

The SCO makes a significant contribution to Scottish life both on the concert platform and
beyond, working in schools, universities, hospitals, care homes, places of work and
community centres through SCO Connect, the Orchestra’s creative learning programme.

The SCO presents regular winter concert seasons in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen,
St Andrews and (with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Royal Scottish National
Orchestra) Perth. It also undertakes many engagements throughout Scotland including an
annual Summer tour to Scotland’s towns and villages.

The SCO is committed to the creation and performance of new music. It enjoys close
relationships with many leading composers and has commissioned more than 150 new
works. These include pieces by Sir James MacMillan, Judith Weir, Sally Beamish, Karin
Rehnqvist, Lyell Cresswell, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Toshio
Hosokawa, John MacLeod, Rolf Martinsson, Lotta Wennäkoski, Hafliði Hallgrímsson and
SCO Associate Composer Martin Suckling.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra receives funding from the Scottish Government as one of
Scotland’s five National Performing Arts Companies.

Principal Bassoon application; Page 1 of 9; Last updated: August 2017

Orchestra Structure
The SCO is the only one of Scotland’s five National Performing Companies to be based in
the capital city, Edinburgh. The Orchestra is freelance and consists of 37 member players.
There are 20 members of staff in the administration.

The SCO has a number of named artistic positions, including

 Robin Ticciati Principal Conductor (until 2018)
 Emmanuel Krivine Principal Guest Conductor
 Joseph Swensen Conductor Emeritus
 Martin Suckling Associate Composer
 Gregory Batsleer Chorus Director

The SCO also enjoys fruitful relationships with world leaders in historically informed
performance, contemporary music and other specialist repertoire. Regular visitors include
Andrew Manze, Richard Egarr, Oliver Knussen and John Storgårds, and pianist-directors
Piotr Anderszewski and Robert Levin.

Summary of the Orchestra’s Work

The SCO has an international reputation for outstanding, idiomatic performances of

repertoire ranging from the baroque through to newly commissioned scores, and from
mainstream classical music to cross-art form collaborations.

We are committed to creative learning in all its forms and are widely regarded as leading
innovators in the field of orchestral education and outreach. The SCO Connect programme
runs year-round across Scotland, enabling people of all ages and abilities to engage with
the music and musicians of the SCO. The programme includes family events in museums,
galleries and community venues; creative composition and performance projects for schools,
colleges and universities; study events for music enthusiasts; music-making weekends for
amateurs; and projects in healthcare settings.

The Winter Season From late September to mid-May, the SCO’s Winter Season provides
schedules of around 23 weeks of own-promoted concerts throughout Scotland, with between
two and four concerts each week – over 60 concerts in total. These take place weekly in
Edinburgh and Glasgow with additional concerts in Aberdeen, Inverness, Dumfries, Ayr, St
Andrews and Perth. Touring, recording, New Year concerts and outside engagements may
also fall within this period.

The Summer From mid-May to the end of September, work is less predictable than during
the main Season, but there is a core of 10-12 weeks’ work. During the summer months, the
SCO undertakes five weeks of Scottish regional touring to small towns and villages, including
remote areas in the Highlands and Islands; the whole Orchestra is also involved in
Masterworks, the SCO’s flagship education project for secondary school students.

The Orchestra performs regularly at the Edinburgh International Festival and produces /
performs the annual Virgin Money Fireworks Concert which brings the Festival to a
spectacular close. The Orchestra is a frequent visitor to East Neuk Festival in Fife, and to
the BBC Proms and St Magnus (Orkney) Festival. Other festivals, overseas touring and
recording projects vary from year to year.

Overseas Touring
The SCO is one of Scotland’s foremost cultural ambassadors, in demand throughout the
world. Touring activities are supported by the Scottish Government. In its 40th Anniversary
Year, 2014, the SCO toured to Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Germany, Austria and Hungary.
In 2017 the SCO toured Europe including concerts in Salzburg, Paris, Aix-en-Provence and
Luxembourg. Further European tours are planned in 2018 and 2019.
Principal Bassoon application; Page 2 of 9; Last updated: August 2017
Recording projects
The SCO has a longstanding partnership with Linn Records, and together they make at least
one CD per year; the SCO is also engaged to record for other labels. Recordings with Linn
include award-winning Mozart Symphonies with Sir Charles Mackerras; Serenades and
Concertos by Weber and Mozart with Alexander Janiczek; and works by Sibelius, Brahms,
Mendelssohn, Prokofiev and Dvořák with Joseph Swensen. Robin Ticciati’s recordings with
the SCO include Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, and Les Nuits d’Eté, Haydn Symphonies
no 31, 70 and 101, the complete Schumann Symphonies. Recent recordings with Robin
Ticciati not yet released include Strauss Wind Concertos with SCO Principals as soloists
and Brahms Complete Symphonies.

Schedule
Overall, there is a recurrent core of around eight months of work per year, supplemented by
touring and recording. This equates to approximately 80 concerts in Scotland each year plus
festival appearances, overseas tours, chamber music and recording projects. There are
many opportunities to supplement this work with involvement in creative learning projects
run by SCO Connect.

SCO Connect – the Orchestra’s Creative Learning programme

SCO Connect inspires and supports creativity throughout Scotland’s communities with an
extensive and imaginative programme that enables people of all ages and abilities to engage
with the music and the musicians of the SCO.

Events range from chamber concerts for babies and toddlers to large education concerts
featuring internationally acclaimed soloists and workshop leaders. The programme currently
includes a three-year residency at schools in the Wester Hailes area of Edinburgh; smaller
projects and workshops led by SCO musicians; and SCO ReConnect, a programme of
interactive workshops for people living with dementia.

SCO musicians are encouraged to take part in SCO Connect projects as part of their work
with the orchestra. Some projects are designed to showcase performing skills, while others
include specialist training and opportunities for continuing professional development.

Playing Commitment
The terms and conditions of this position offer a flexible workload and schedule.

The freelance contract SCO has with playing members provides a secure basic income while
allowing flexibility for members to take on work outside the SCO. Many members enjoy the
particular freedom this gives, working regularly in other orchestras and ensembles as well
as non-classical groupings, and supplementing their incomes and musical experiences
accordingly.

Season Brochures can be downloaded at https://issuu.com/scomusic.

Further information is also available from www.sco.org.uk.

Principal Bassoon application; Page 3 of 9; Last updated: August 2017

APPLICATIONS
Please complete the following audition application form and equal opportunities form and
email them to: louisa.stanway@sco.org.uk

Alternatively, please post the forms to:

Louisa Stanway
Orchestra Manager
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
4 Royal Terrace
Edinburgh EH7 5AB

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Thursday 2 November 2017, 5pm.

AUDITIONS WILL BE HELD IN EDINBURGH on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17
December 2017.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is an accredited Living Wage Employer.

Fees are guided by the ABO/MU agreement.

Principal Bassoon application; Page 4 of 9; Last updated: August 2017

 AUDITION
APPLICATION
FORM

Position applied for: Principal Bassoon

Auditions will be on 16 and 17 December 2017 in Edinburgh

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

 Considerable experience of performing in professional orchestras.
 Expertise in a broad range of performance styles including Baroque, Classical,
Romantic, Contemporary, Continuo playing and Chamber music.
 An understanding of stylistic performance practice.

Title First name Surname

Name:

Home address:

Home telephone:
Mobile:
Email:

Please note: Players selected for trial will be asked to provide documentary
evidence of their right to work in the UK. All players performing with the SCO must
be in possession of a valid UK work permit.

Nationality:
Do you need a work permit or visa to work in the UK?
If yes, do you have a UK work permit as of the date of
this application? Please give details.
Date of issue:
Place of issue:
Expiry date:

How did you hear about this vacancy?

E.g. Musical Chairs; www.music-
jobs.com
If ‘other’ please state how:

Principal Bassoon application; Page 5 of 9; Last updated: August 2017

EDUCATION & TRAINING
Dates Institution Teachers Subject studied Qualification
obtained

ORCHESTRAL EXPERIENCE

CONTINUO EXPERIENCE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Please provide any further information which may support your application (e.g.
solo/chamber music, competitions, masterclasses).

Principal Bassoon application; Page 6 of 9; Last updated: August 2017

 Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form

We are committed to ensuring that all job applicants and members of staff are
treated equally, without discrimination on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation,
marital or civil partner status, gender reassignment, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or
national origin, religion or belief, disability or age. This form is intended to help us
maintain equal opportunities best practice and identify barriers to workforce equality
and diversity.

Please complete this form and return it with your application. The form will be
separated from your application on receipt. The information on this form will be
used for monitoring purposes only and will play no part in the recruitment process.

All questions are optional. You are not obliged to answer any of these
questions but the more information you supply, the more effective our
monitoring will be. All information supplied will be treated in the strictest
confidence. It will not be placed on your personnel file.

Thank you for your assistance.

ABOUT THE VACANCY

Please state which job you have applied for and the closing date given for
applications.

Job applied for: ...................................................

Closing date for applications: ...................................................

Where did you hear about this job (please tick)?

Newspaper Friend Recruitment

(please company
specify)
.......................................
Company Other
website (please
specify)
.......................................

Principal Bassoon application; Page 7 of 9; Last updated: August 2017

GENDER
What is your gender (please tick)? (If you are undergoing gender reassignment,
please use the gender identity you intend to acquire.)

Male
Female
Prefer not to say
GENDER IDENTITY
Do you identify as transgender/transsexual?

Yes
No
Prefer not to say

ETHNIC GROUP
How would you describe your nationality and/or ethnicity (please tick)?

A B C
White: Mixed race: Asian or
Asian
British:
British - English, White and Black Indian
Scottish or Welsh Caribbean

Irish White and Pakistani

Black African

Other White and Asian Bangladeshi

White background
Other Other
Mixed background Asian background

D E
Black or Chinese and
Black British: other groups:

Caribbean Chinese Prefer not to say

African Other ethnic group

Other
Black background

Principal Bassoon application; Page 8 of 9; Last updated: August 2017

AGE
What is your age (please tick)?

16–17 18–21 22–30 31–40 41–50

51–60 61–65 66–70 71+ Prefer not to

say

SEXUAL ORIENTATION
How would you describe your sexual orientation (please tick)?

Heterosexual / Bisexual Prefer not to say

straight
Gay man Gay woman /
lesbian

If you are lesbian, gay or bisexual, are you open about your sexual orientation?

Yes Partially No
At home
With colleagues
With your manager
At work generally

RELIGION OR BELIEF
Please describe your religion or other strongly-held belief.

I would describe my religion or belief as: .................................................

I have no particular religion or belief
Prefer not to say

DISABILITY
The Equality Act 2010 defines a disability as a "physical or mental impairment which has
a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal
day-to-day activities". An effect is long-term if it has lasted, or is likely to last, more than
12 months.

Do you consider that you have a disability under the Equality Act (please tick)?

Yes No
Used to have a disability but Don't know
have now recovered
Prefer not to say

9
 news
INSPIRING AND CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE OF ALL AGES

www.sco.org.uk | Issue 67 | May 2017

Dancing
with DvoRák Dvorák and the SCO in Season 2017/18
Thoughts from Dr Martin Ennis,
University of Cambridge

Also inside: Brontë Hudnott | Under 18s Free | European Tour Instagram Takeover
02|SCO news

CONTENTS Issue 67 | May 2017

13

22 14
–––––
Regulars
Others
3 Foreword 12 Summer Tour
4 SCO news 13 Something Old Something New
10 60 second interview An ambitious new project piloted in partnership
with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
11 Recent Recordings
22 Your Orchestra, Your Say 14 European Tour 2017
Instagram takeover with Emily Dellit-Imbert
23 THROUGH THE EYES OF...
22 Finland Honours
Roy McEwan-Brown
COVER In March at a ceremony at The Finnish
18 Dancing with Dvorák Ambassador’s Residence in London,
Roy received the Award of Knight 1st Class
Dvořák and the SCO in Season of the Order of the Lion of Finland
2017/18. Thoughts from Dr Martin
Ennis, University of Cambridge 24 Summer Tour Dates

4 Royal Terrace Core funded by

Edinburgh EH7 5AB
telephone: 0131 557 6800
email: info@sco.org.uk
www.sco.org.uk
–––––
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is a
charity registered in Scotland No. SC015039
Company registration No. SC75079

Foreword
Welcome to SCO News!
It has been a busy, exciting and very
varied start to the year with many
concerts and workshops across the
length and breadth of Scotland as
well as performances further afield
in Europe.
There have been many highlights
for me in my first season with
the SCO and whilst there are still
a couple of concerts to go in the
current series, I must say that I
was particularly moved by the
performances in March of Sir
James MacMillan’s extraordinary
new Stabat Mater, with our friends
The Sixteen and conductor Harry
Christophers.
As the winter season draws to a
close, we can now start to look
forward to our summer touring
programme. This is such an
important part of our work as a
National Performing Company
and I am delighted that each
year we are able to visit so many
different venues and communities
around Scotland. Between June
and September you will find our
musicians performing in venues
as far apart as Selkirk and the
Shetland Isles, St Andrews and
Greenock and Langholm and
Thurso. You will find details of
all of our summer concerts in
this edition of SCO News – I do
Gavin Reid
hope you will be able to join the
orchestra as they tour the country.
Two of the world’s greatest festivals
– The Edinburgh International
Festival and the BBC Proms –
have recently announced their
programmes for 2017 and it is
terrific to see the SCO featuring
prominently in both. It is always a
great honour to be invited to open
the International Festival and this
year – the Festival’s 70th anniversary
– the SCO will begin proceedings
with Haydn’s Symphony No 94
‘Surprise’ – the very first work
performed in the very first
Festival, in 1947. Later in August,
we travel to the Royal Albert
Hall for a performance of Berg’s
Violin Concerto and Schumann’s
Symphony No 3 ‘Rhenish’, which
you will also be able to hear
broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
I hope that by now you will have
received our 2017/18 Winter
Season brochure. I have many
wonderful memories of hearing the
SCO in the Queen’s Hall and Usher
Hall in the 1980s when I was at
SCO news|03
school and I know how important
those concerts were in helping
to instil in me a love of music
and a determination to become
a professional musician. So I am
thrilled that from the start of next
season all our tickets for Under 18s
will be completely free. Please help
us to spread the word.
As you will know, next season
is Robin Ticciati’s last as our
Principal Conductor. His musical
insights and intelligence and the
care and love that he has shown
for the music he performs and
the musicians he performs with
have, I think, been the hallmarks
of his time with the SCO. His
programmes next Season are
typical – highly distinctive, clearly
recognisable themes, new paths
of discovery, repertoire that seeks
to extend the boundaries of a
chamber orchestra and some of
the most sought-after soloists in
the world.
But before we get ahead of
ourselves too much, I hope very
much that you will be able to join
us for the closing concerts of this
Season
Gavin Reid
Chief Executive
04|SCO news

SCO NEWS
Introducing
Brontë Hudnott!
––––––
After a short trial period,
Australian flautist Brontë
Hudnott has been appointed
Sub-Principal Flute of the
Scottish Chamber Orchestra!

Until now, Brontë has enjoyed

a varied freelance career,
performing with many of
the UK’s leading orchestras,
including the Philharmonia,
the London Philharmonic
Orchestra and the Hallé. She
was Principal Flute of the
Britten-Pears Orchestra in
2015 and the LPO Foyle Future
First flautist the same year, Brontë Hudnott

with her solo work in the latter

role flatteringly highlighted
as ‘ravishing’ by the Financial
Times.
She completed her postgraduate
studies at the Royal Academy
of Music in London, graduating
with distinction and the
honorary Dip RAM for an
outstanding final recital.
Like our Principal Flute, Alison
Mitchell, Brontë also hails
from Melbourne. Her new
desk partner has this to say:
“Brontë is the perfect “partner
in crime”! She reads my mind
and we work perfectly in sync.
I love her sound which blends
beautifully with mine and, I love her
will bring a distinctiveness to
the second flute voice. She is a sound which
great asset to our wind section
blends
and the Orchestra. I’m really
looking forward to performing beautifully
together and having her in the
section.”
with mine and,
will bring a
In addition to her orchestral
work, Brontë enjoys performing distinctiveness
chamber music whenever to the second
possible. When not performing
or rehearsing, Brontë loves flute voice
dancing, gallery-hopping, ––––––
trying new recipes and Brontë Hudnott’s Chair is kindly supported
exploring the countryside. by Claire and Mark Urquhart

No Strings
Attached –
Under 18s Go Free!
––––––
We are passionate about sharing
the experience of exceptional
live orchestral music-making
and inspiring new generations
of classical music lovers. The
upcoming 2017/18 Season
reinforces this by offering free
admission to Season concerts
to all 18 year olds and under. In
addition, teachers accompanying
pupils to concerts can now
attend free of charge. The SCO
will also continue to offer Under
26s and unemployed £6 tickets,
making concerts accessible and
welcoming to all.
Everyone has a story to tell
about their experience with
classical music at a young age.
In a recent interview in The
Herald, Robin Ticciati shared
his: “I came from a family where
my parents loved music, there
was music in the household,
I saw that my brother played
violin and thought I’d really like
to do that.”
He then shared a frustration:
“It is about opportunity and it
shouldn’t be about opportunity,
it should be for everyone.....
It’s about really getting music
to people who don’t have the
opportunity or the money or,
in a sense, the open eyes for it.
SCO news|05
It’s to get at them and then the
gateway will become wider and
more people can get through it.”
Do you know young people
who would like to come to
concerts but may not be aware
that tickets are free? Or do you
know a school teacher who
may be able to bring a group of
students? Please share our news
that Under 18s and teachers
who bring a group of school
students (minimum 6) can
come to the Scottish Chamber
Orchestra for free. You never
know, you might change a
young person’s life…
––––––
Nurturing
young talent
––––––
The SCO is committed to
nurturing young talent and
is developing its partnership
with the Royal Conservatoire
of Scotland through a series
of side by side concerts. The
Season also features pre-
concert performances from
RCS students, St Mary’s Music
School, City of Edinburgh Music
School, Douglas Academy and
Aberdeen City Music School. If
you already have tickets for one
of these concerts, please add the
free pre-concert performance
to your diary too – the young
musicians will really appreciate
your support.
––––––
For more information see sco.org.uk
06|SCO news

Peter Whelan
PETER WHELAN
on sabbatical
––––––
Here is a quick note about
my adventures while I am on
sabbatical from the SCO. I’ve
been using the time to explore
the world of conducting/directing
and I’ve just completed 10
performances of Acis and Galatea
with Opera Theatre Company/
Irish Baroque Orchestra, initially
at the Wexford Opera House and
then on tour around Ireland. The
production was enormous fun -
set in modern times in an Irish
country pub with a line-dancing
chorus!

Next in the diary is a concert

© Jen Owens

of Haydn Symphonies 6-8

(Matin/Midi/Soir) at the Bath
Festival with poetry relevant to
the different times of day, and
later in the Summer there will
Win £250
be concerts with my group,
––––––
Ensemble Marsyas, at the
250 SOCIETY Edinburgh International Festival
Please join us in congratulating recent winners of our 250 and then at the Kilkenny Festival
Society draw who each won £250. in Ireland.

January – Margaret Thomson Our concert at EIF is particularly

February – Peter Swarbrick
March – Eleanor Morrison
April – Pamela Harper
It costs just £5 a month to become a member of the SCO’s 250
Society and be in with a chance of winning a monthly prize
of £250. All proceeds go towards helping to fund the work of
SCO Connect. To join, simply download the SCO 250 Society
membership form at www.sco.org.uk/support-us or contact
Adam James on 0131 478 8344.
exciting as it marks the
reopening of St. Cecilia’s Hall
following refurbishment. We
will reconstruct a concert which
took place in St. Cecilia’s in the
late 18th century which featured
the super-star castrato of the day,
Giusto Tenducci, who had just
eloped from Dublin with his new
Irish bride (who was, against all

odds, pregnant). Mezzo-Soprano,
Emilie Renard will be joining us
to sing the role of Tenducci.
Unfortunately this concert is
already sold-out, but if you are
keen to hear more we plan to
release a new CD in August
called ‘Edinburgh 1742’ (Linn)
which features lots of the music
from the concert, including
incredible new rediscoveries from
forgotten Edinburgh resident
composer, Francesco Barsanti.
You will not believe your ears!
These works feature spectacular
horn parts played by my SCO
colleague Alec Frank-Gemmill
and prove that music in 18th
century Edinburgh was every bit
as vibrant as it is today.
Immediately after this we will
travel to Kilkenny for another
exciting project which explores
the music scene in Dublin in
the the run-up to Handel’s
visit to the city in 1742 for the
first performance of Messiah.
Plenty of new musical material
from 18th century Dublin has
cropped-up in recent years which
we intend to explore, some from
the most unlikely of places. One
work was taken as booty by the
Russians at the end of WW2
and only returned to a German
library in the mid-1990s. This will
culminate with a performance
of the 1742 Dublin version of
Messiah (quite different from
the familiar version) to mark the
275th anniversary of the first
performance.
Then there will be a project with
the Portland Baroque Orchestra
in the USA followed by a week
directing the Irish Chamber
Orchestra before I return to my
seat just in time for the downbeat
of the new season (in the SCO)! I
look forward to catching up with
you all then.
Premiere of Memorial Ground
at East Neuk Festival
ROYAL
PHILHARMONIC
SOCIETY AWARDS:
MEMORIAL GROUND
––––––
Congratulations to East Neuk
Festival whose commission,
Memorial Ground, has been
nominated in the Audience
Engagement category of the
2017 RPS Awards.
Memorial Ground is a piece
of choral music by Pulitzer
Prize-winning and Oscar-
nominated composer David
SCO news|07
Lang, composed in 2016 to mark
the centenary of the Battle of the
Somme in a very special way.
More than 1.1 million people
from all over the world were
killed or wounded during that
Battle, and no single text or piece
of music can respond to such a
scale of loss.
Instead, David Lang wanted to
offer many different people a
way to voice their own response.
Choirs ranging from primary
schools to professional choirs of
all sizes and abilities customised
his piece to make it their own
by choosing texts and shaping
the performance according to
their own thoughts, resources,
location, circumstances and
scale. Some kept it simple and
short; others added instruments,
video projections, staging, poetry,
prayers, whispered names of the
fallen – every performance was
unique.
The piece was commissioned by
East Neuk Festival in association
with 14-18 NOW and WW100
Scotland. It was premiered at
Cambo Barn, Fife as part of
the 2016 East Neuk Festival by
Theatre of Voices, SCO Chorus
(director: Gregory Batsleer),
Fife community choirs and SCO
musicians conducted by Paul
Hillier.
––––––
www.1418now.org.uk
WW100 Scotland
08|SCO news
Virgin Money
Fireworks
Concert
––––––
Join us for the triumphant
conclusion of the 2017
Edinburgh International Festival
with the Virgin Money Fireworks
Concert.
This spectacular event brings
together our music with
magnificent pyrotechnics,
specially choreographed by
international fireworks artists
Pyrovision.
Our programme this year
includes Tchaikovsky’s
sumptuous ballet music, with
delectable waltzes, marches,
mazurkas and more. Two rousing
Scottish masterpieces open and
close the evening: Sir James
MacMillan’s infectious ceilidh-
inspired Stomp, and Sir Peter
Maxwell Davies’ joyful show-
stopper An Orkney Wedding,
with Sunrise, an unforgettable
musical portrait of an island
marriage complete with riotous
traditional folk tunes and tipsy
revellers.
Pick up a Picnic!
This year, for the first time, we
offer you the chance to enjoy an
unforgettable evening in Princes
Street Gardens with fine food and
wine (and mineral water) in the
form of a luxury picnic.
Early Bird Offer – only £39.50
until end of June – Check out
the menus for the meat and
vegetarian options at eif.co.uk/
virginmoneyfireworks, and
follow the link to buy your picnic
hamper. Once you have ordered,
your hamper will be available for
collection by you on the night in
Princes Street Gardens.
East Neuk Festival
––––––
In the coming months, amidst
another busy touring schedule
around Scotland, summer 2017
sees us returning to our friends in
the East Neuk of Fife for several
outings at the superb East Neuk
Festival.
The festival grew out of the
SCO’s “Summer Evenings in the
East Neuk” concert series from
the late 90’s. The overwhelming
popularity of these concerts, literature, films and guided
the ample number of churches walks. Since its inception in 2004,
and venues perfectly suited for the festival has hosted some
concert giving and the fantastic of the worlds greatest artists
culture of music-making that and features the SCO and SCO
exists in the area inspired players in a variety of guises.
SCO Life President Donald
MacDonald, Louise MacDonald For 2017, the SCO’s Wind
and Svend Brown-McEwan to Octet perform Mozart, Salieri
create a new festival with classical and Schubert on 29 June at St
chamber music at its heart. Ayle Church in Cellardykes.
The festival has since evolved On the 2 July, SCO players (as
and now encompasses many part of Mr McFall’s Chamber)
other types of music as well as join Norwegian musicians for
art installations, exhibitions, an afternoon of traditional

tunes, reinventions and a world
premiere by Henning Sommerro
at Anstruther’s Town Hall. In the
evening of 2 July, SCO Strings
close the festival with a musical
journey across Scotland with a
programme that includes music
by Sibelius and Tchaikovsky. SCO
Leader Stephanie Gonley will
direct.
So that you don’t miss out on
what promises to be another
fun and memorable festival, we
have organised a supporter’s
trip to attend both concerts on
Sunday 2 July. The trip costs
£99 with coaches departing
from Edinburgh and Glasgow
and includes a sumptuous two-
course meal at The Waterfront
restaurant in Anstruther. To book
your place, please call Adam
James on 0131 478 8344 or visit
www.sco.org.uk/support-us/
events.
––––––
For more details about the
East Neuk Festival, please visit
www.eastneukfestival.com
SCO news|09
SCO Vibe in St Andrews
Connect latest
––––––
As part of the build up towards
a new three year community
residency in Wester Hailes,
Edinburgh, SCO Connect have
developed a series of music
and movement workshops at
local primary schools. Several
classes of children have had a
fabulous, creative time working
with composer Matilda Brown,
movement specialist Ana Almeida,
and SCO musicians Eric de Wit,
Emily Dellit Imbert, Robert McFall
and Su-a Lee. Projects in the area
continue over the summer with a
series of nursery workshops and
a secondary school programme
led by Matthew Hardy and Aisling
O’Dea. We are excited to announce
that the full residency begins in
Autumn 2017 and will include a
series of projects at every nursery,
primary and secondary school in
Wester Hailes.
Recent highlights of the St
Andrews Orchestra in Residence
programme included a hugely
successful weekend of music
making for students led by our
10|SCO news
SCO VIBE team. William Stafford
and pianist Hiroaki Takenouchi
gave a fabulous Lunchtime
Chamber Concert featuring the
music of James MacMillan, and as
part of our Early Evening Concert
series SCO players, students and
staff performed an innovative
programme of music by Jeremy
Thurlow. This year’s StAFCO
Spring Concert showcased
Maximiliano Martín’s spellbouding
performance of Weber’s Concertino
for Clarinet with the orchestra.
In other news, Scrapers and
Tooters visited Dundee on 6 &
7 May, and we celebrate our two
year residency at Rattray Primary
School, Perthshire with a final
performance at Horsecross Youth
Arts Festival on 14 June. We are
also delighted to be working in
partnership with Live Borders to
produce Sounding Out the Past,
a new music commission for the
Borders Heritage Festival 2017.
Composer Suzanne Parry, a
Borders writer and musicians from
the Scottish Chamber Orchestra
will work with four classes of local
primary school children to explore
the history and stories connected
to three historic Borders houses
– Abbotsford, Bowhill, and
Aikwood Tower. The resulting
pieces for a small SCO ensemble
will be performed at a series of
school concerts and at an evening
performance during the Borders
Heritage Festival in September
2017
60
SECOND INTERVIEW
Richard Egarr
Tell us about Schumann’s Requiem?
We all know Schumann for his great piano music and great song cycles
and lieder in general. Even the symphonies are loved by musicians,
but audiences grow a bit foxed by them. I think musicians tend to love
Schumann and audiences go “eh what”?! So hearing the Schumann
Requiem will hopefully create a wonderful eureka moment for audiences.
He wrote it very late in life, in 1852, and Schumann himself said, “One
only writes a Requiem for one’s self”. This is kind of interesting as he was
already ill, so I think he saw the writing on the wall and the result was this
extraordinary, very thoughtful, quite introverted Requiem.
What does it sound like?
If you are used to Requiems, such as Verdi’s or Mozart’s, there is lots of
bluster and noise around this Dies Ires. Schumann’s Requiem is not like
these. It is very Schumann-esque, a very introverted piece, a bit like his
Violin Concerto. So I’m hoping that our audiences will discover a whole
new side of Schumann through this piece.
What will be different about this concert, having previously
worked with the SCO Chorus?
I’m a choir man. I was brought up as a choir boy so I love working with
choirs. I think Greg has done fantastic things with the SCO Chorus over
the last three or four years since I’ve known him. I am looking forward to
working on this piece with him because it is a piece they have never sung
before and the orchestra have probably never played it before, so actually
it’s rather exciting that you get to play a piece by a major composer which
no one has done before. I think this will also bring a sense of expectation
and excitement to the whole project
––––––
Schumann’s Requiem is on the 26 & 27 October in Edinburgh and Glasgow
The Glasgow concert is
proudly sponsored by
 SCO news|11

Recent Recordings
Coming soon…
––––––

Mozart Piano Concertos 25 & 26

Francesco Piemontesi – Piano
Andrew Manze – Conductor

Release date - August 18th 2017

THROWBACK
–––––

Our extensive 2015 European Tour included a performance in the Halle aux Grains, Toulouse with
Robin Ticciati at the helm and Renaud Capuçon starring as violin soloist in both Beethoven and
Lindberg Violin Concertos
12|SCO news
Summer Tour 2017
From June to September 2017, we embark on
an extensive programme of touring across the
length and breadth of Scotland. Our commitment
to engaging as many Scottish communities as
possible is strengthened with more than 20
concerts across the country.
The summer tour will showcase the talents of our
virtuoso Principal Players, Maximiliano Martín,
Benjamin Marquise Gilmore, Nikita Naumov
and Stephanie Gonley. Joining us on the road are
internationally-renowned guest artists – South
African conductor Gerard Korsten, American
conductor Karina Canellakis (Winner of the 2016
Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award) and Violin/
Directors Tobias Ringborg, Alexander Janiczek
and Anthony Marwood
––––––
Full summer tour dates can be found on the back
cover or by visiting www.sco.org.uk
 SCO news|13

Something Old
Something New

In March, SCO Connect brought 100 pupils from four primary schools in Springburn, Glasgow to the
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) to showcase the results of Something Old, Something New – an
ambitious new project piloted in partnership with the RCS.

Something Old, Something New focused on the music of Sir James MacMillan, whose work was
celebrated by the SCO, BBC SSO and RCS during March. The project’s title refers to MacMillan’s use of
traditional melodies, stories and ideas from his own compositions which he develops or reuses in new
compositions. In an intensive series of school workshops, SCO and RCS musicians worked in teams to
introduce MacMillan’s music to the pupils and to help them create their own group compositions, using
MacMillan’s musical and thematic ideas as starting points.

The project was designed to give primary school children from an area of multiple deprivation a
unique opportunity to work creatively and to perform with professional musicians. Led by animateur
Lucy Forde, it also developed creative leadership skills among SCO musicians and provided a training
opportunity for RCS students to work alongside the SCO musicians in educational settings. SCO
musicians taking part were Aisling O’Dea, Su-a Lee, Felix Tanner, Eric de Wit, Alison Mitchell, and
Nikita Naumov, with percussionist Phil Hague and eight BMus and MMus students from the RCS.

The teams were proud to be able to bring the pupils’ work into a professional venue and to give the
children the experience of performing in public. To everyone’s delight, James MacMillan himself was
present for an afternoon of vibrant performances by Saracen, Elmvale, Barmulloch and Balornock
Primary Schools, including a grand finale written for all the performers by Lucy Forde
14|SCO news

SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

www.sco.org.uk
–––––

EUROPEAN
TOUR 2017

Instagram takeover
with Emily
Dellit-Imbert
–––––

#SCOonTour

Whenever I tell my non-musical friends that I’m off

In February we asked on tour with my orchestra, I’m met with collective
Emily Dellit-Imbert and sighs of envy, and exclamations of ‘Wow, I’m so
jealous! Your job is so cool! You’re so lucky!’
Su-a Lee to takeover
our instagram account Ten days into the SCO’s 2017 European tour, four
for our European tour. months pregnant and struggling against a lingering
case of hyperemesis gravidarum (Google it –
This is Emily’s story. ALL the hip pregnant celebs get it), I will wake up
too early to one of the fifteen-or-so precautionary
alarms I set the night before so as not to miss the
tour bus, groggily trying to remember which country
I’m currently in, and gaze accusingly at my suitcase,
which has, perhaps in commiseration with its ailing

mistress, vomited its entire contents all over the hotel
room.
I think back to those aforementioned conversations
with my friends at home in Australia, and imagine
them all as they might be at that moment, ten hours
ahead of me in their Antipodean summer, smugly
wearing one thin layer of clothing, enjoying post-
work cocktails outdoors or an evening swim, and I
contemplate posting a selfie of my current situation to
Instagram, accompanied by the bitter caption ‘Me on
tour #prettycool #prettylucky #jealousmuch?’
Thankfully for followers of the SCO, this snapshot
SCO news|15
was NOT one which made it to the final cut for my
tour takeover of the orchestra’s Instagram feed. After
all, to imply that my overwhelming experience of
touring in general was one of such struggle would
be to neglect the manifold other daily moments of
discovery, camaraderie, and sheer joy of music-
making that inevitably take place in the life of a
touring orchestra.
Last January, via plane, train, and coach, the Scottish
Chamber Orchestra, joined by Principal Conductor
Robin Ticciati and piano soloist Maria João Pires,
zigzagged across continental Europe, performing in
seven different cities in almost as many days. Starting
16|SCO news

out in Salzburg for the Mozartwoche Festival, we

toured our program of Dvořák, Mozart, and Haydn
onwards to Aix-en-Provence, Paris, Toulouse, Of course life isn’t
Pamplona, Luxembourg, and Rotterdam. Though
the schedule itself was gruelling (day 7 alone saw
Instagram, and you
us touch land in three different countries!) the can’t hashtag a
concerts were always fresh, the inspiration new, the
dynamic charged. Sharing the stage with pianist
story, but if I could,
Maria João Pires was a particular highlight. The I would. #prettycool
gravitas and dignity she brought to her performances
of Mozart each night made each of us feel like she #prettylucky
was approaching the work anew, transporting
#jealousmuch?
orchestra and audience alike through her inspired
interpretations.

After our final concert in Rotterdam, I went
to Maria’s dressing room to thank her for her
consistently transcendental performances throughout
the tour. She placed her hands on my pregnant belly,
and in her calm, earnest, and considered way, wished
me and my future child all the very best for our life
together. I promptly burst into tears, overwhelmed
by sheer end-of-tour exhaustion and an overload
of pregnancy-related emotion and sentimentality.
Again, not me in my finest moment, and thankfully
another snapshot that didn’t make it onto Instagram,
but definitely one that will be stored and treasured in
the mental repository of souvenirs and stories I am
already collecting for my unborn child.
SCO news|17
I sometimes imagine my future self, telling my child
that when I was expecting him or her, I travelled
around Europe as a member of a wonderful chamber
orchestra, that I played compositions by Mozart
in his birthplace, that I travelled through three
different countries in one day, that I shared the stage
with a musical angel who played some of the first
sounds he or she would ever have heard. Of course
life isn’t Instagram, and you can’t hashtag a story,
but if I could, I would. #prettycool #prettylucky
#jealousmuch?
––––––
Keep up with us on Instagram at
www.instagram.com/scottishchamberorchestra/
18|SCO news

Season 17/18 Poster image for our Dvorák Symphony No 8 concerts


Dancing with Dvorák
Dvorák and the SCO in Season 2017/18.
Thoughts from Dr Martin Ennis, University of Cambridge
For his ninth and final season as Principal Conductor
of the SCO, Robin Ticciati has chosen a programme
based round works by Antonín Dvořák. In doing
so, he revisits some of the repertoire championed by
Sir Charles Mackerras, his immediate predecessor.
A turn to Dvořák after several seasons exploring
core Austro-German music may seem surprising;
however, the widespread image of Dvořák as
standard-bearer for Czech music can be misleading.
For a start, some of the pieces we tend to see as
quintessentially Czech are, in fact, representative of
a pan-Slavic movement. The work that established
Dvořák’s broader reputation, the Slavonic Dances,
was criticised by no less a figure than Smetana
as a hodgepodge of different Eastern European
traditions. Moreover, the range of Dvořák’s output,
which is focussed on the iconic genres of symphony
and string quartet, suggests a composer whose
musical world was not so far removed from his
great contemporary, Brahms. In truth, Dvořák,
like Tchaikovsky, was an internationalist: he happily
identified with ‘mainstream’ European culture while
employing some couleur locale.
Long-term supporters of the Scottish Chamber
Orchestra will doubtless be intrigued to see how
SCO news|19
news|15
Ticciati’s approach to Dvořák differs from that of
Mackerras. However, interpretation is not just a
matter of individual temperament: with orchestras
like the SCO, which boasts many distinguished
instrumentalists among its ranks, interpretations
result from engagement and (often unspoken)
negotiation between director and players. In short,
the readings we shall hear this season grow out of
experiences shared over the past decade. Building
creatively on established traditions has been the
hallmark of Ticciati’s tenure at the SCO – just as
it was of Dvořák’s compositional career – and the
coming season promises a highly stimulating
envoi
––––––
Dr Martin Ennis is Senior Lecturer in Music at the
Faculty of Music and Fellow and Director of Music
at Girton College, Cambridge. He taught Robin
Ticciati when he was a student there.
––––––
For more information on all our Dvořák concerts
please visit our website at:
https://www.sco.org.uk/whats-on?composer=10
––––––
The Glasgow concert is proudly sponsored by
20|SCO news
Finland Honours
Roy McEwan-Brown
We are really proud of our former long-serving
Chief Executive Roy McEwan-Brown. In March at
a ceremony at The Finnish Ambassador’s Residence
in London, Roy received the Award of Knight 1st
Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland from
Her Excellency Päivi Luostarinen, Ambassador of
Finland to the United Kingdom.
He received this honour for services in fostering
and promoting Finnish Composers, Artists and
Conductors over several decades in his roles as Chief
Executive of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (1993-
2016) and earlier as Director of the MacRobert Arts
Centre, University of Stirling (1981-1991).
Her Excellency Päivi Luostarinen commented: “This
sustained and vigorous support of Finnish music
by Roy McEwan-Brown has not gone unnoticed
by the Joint Board of the Order of the Lion of
Finland, which was established in 1942 for Merit
and is open to both Finnish citizens and nationals
of other countries. The President of Finland, Sauli
Niinistö, has graciously authorised the award to
Roy McEwan-Brown. I am personally delighted to
be able to make this award which represents strong
evidence of cultural and artistic friendship between
Finland and Scotland in this, the 100th year since
Finnish Independence”.
During the decade beginning 1996, the SCO
performed works by the Finnish composer Jean
Sibelius no fewer than 75 times. Roy was also
behind commissioning new works by Finnish
composers including Lotta Wennäkoski. Her work
Verdigris was commissioned to celebrate the 150th
birthday of Jean Sibelius, and received its World
Premiere at the Younger Hall, St Andrews, on 28
October 2015. Performances in Edinburgh and
Glasgow followed shortly after. Other Finnish
composers that Roy commissioned include

In his time as Chief Executive of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra:
Roy commissioned the following works from Finnish composers:
––––––
Einojuhani Rautavaara –
Autumn Gardens.
This received its world
premiere at the BBC Proms
and was performed ten times
throughout Scotland.
Jukka Tiensuu – Missa.
A Clarinet Concerto premiered
in 2007.
Lotta Wennäkoski –
Verdigris.
Commissioned to mark the
150th birthday of Sibelius and
premiered in 2015.
Einojuhani Rautavaara and
Jukka Tiensuu. He programmed
the UK premieres of works by
Kalevi Aho, Magnus Lindberg,
Eero Hämmeeniemi and Olli
Mustonen.
The SCO also performed the UK
premiere of two works by Jean
Sibelius – T he Countess’s Portrait
and The Maiden in the Tower
Suite, which was orchestrated by
Tuomas Hannikainen.
A future Scottish Premiere
which Roy programmed prior
to his retirement is Einojuhani
Rautavaara’s Percussion
Concerto ‘Incantations’. It will
be conducted by the composer’s
UK Premieres in the 1990s
included works by Kalevi
Aho, Magnus Lindberg, Eero
Hammeeniemi, Einojuhani
Rautavaara and Olli
Mustonen.
Two works by Jean Sibelius
received their UK Premieres
compatriot John Storgårds, and
performed by the much-loved
Scot Colin Currie. Performances
are in Dumfries, Edinburgh,
Glasgow and Inverness on the
28th February to 3rd March
2018.
As well as composers, Roy is
also a conspicuous supporter of
leading Finnish conductors and
musicians. Over the years those
he invited to the SCO included
Jukka Pekka Saraste, Paavo
Berglund, Okko Kamu, Juho
Pohjonen, and Pekka Kuusisto.
On receipt of the award, Roy said:
“Having admired Finland since
I discovered some of its music in
SCO news|21
– The Countess’s Portrait and
The Maiden in the Tower
Suite (Orchestrated by
Tuomas Hannikainen)
Finnish Musicians who
Roy invited to collaborate
with the SCO included:
Jukka Pekka Saraste, Paavo
Berglund, John Storgårds,
Okko Kamu, Tuomas
Hannikainen, Pekka Kuusisto,
Juho Pohjonen, Kari Krikku,
Mikku Franck, Hannu Lintu,
Susanna Mälkki and Sakari
Oramo.
my teens, this recognition comes
as a wonderful surprise and a
great honour. As a small country
which has invested so much
in culture and creative talent
– through music, architecture,
literature, art and design –
Finland is an inspiration to us all
and it has been a great privilege
to help celebrate its achievements
throughout my career, both at
the Scottish Chamber Orchestra
and before at the University of
Stirling”
––––––
Rautavaara Percussion Concerto
John Storgårds – Conductor
Colin Currie – Percussion
28 Feb - 2 May 2018
Dumfries | Edinburgh | Glasgow
22|SCO news

YOUR ORCHESTRA,
YOUR SAY...
––––––
Your opportunity to comment and have your say.
Whether it is via social media or by sending us a
letter, we love to hear from you. Still reverberating after seeing the awesome
–––––– @NickyBenedetti @theusherhall @SCOmusic
last night. Breathtaking, dizzying talent.
Thank you SCO and Chris Jarvis! Orla O’Loughlin @orlaoloughlin1
We had the best time ever at Stan
and Mabel today! One little girl is
desperate to learn the violin now.
Elaine Wilson, Facebook
“As we were newbies, we were completely
blown away by the performance, the energy and
enthusiasm that each musician put in created
a breath taking display. The conductor was
marvellous and was one whose passion for the
FANTASTIC INITIATIVE! Thanks @
piece was clear. Thoroughly enjoyed it and will
SCOmusic Scottish Chamber Orchestra to give
definitely be attending again”
free tickets to young people
(Customer email)
Mar Carmena @mar_carmena

Super evening. Orchestra on top form but even

it was eclipsed by the sound of the piano in Llŷr
Join the conversation
Williams imperious performance, glorious.
––––––
Loved Alexander’s conversation with the
orchestra in the Mozart and the closing bars of
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and special offers, visit sco.org.uk/latest
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An electric performance tonight @SCOmusic
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THROUGH
THE EYES OF...
Eric de Wit
Cello
Rachel Smith
Second Violin

Nora just turned one a few weeks back,

congratulations – she is absolutely
adorable! We imagine it’s been
quite the year... how have you both found
the transition into parenthood?
The transition is never what one expects! First,
you hit the ground running so there aren’t many
moments to take stock… Our relationship with
our work and practice has certainly changed.
We are playing with wooden blocks at home
far more than playing our instruments at the
moment… one learns to become very economical
with the practice, that’s for sure. We both wonder
what on earth we did with our time before! great to share a lot of experiences with other new-
It’s a pity babies don’t grasp the concept of parent-colleagues Phil and Felix. And impending
sleeping in on a Sunday after a late night new mother Emily!
Aberdeen concert…
Having two incredibly musical parents,
Performing with the SCO requires a lot we’re guessing Nora is exposed to a lot
of travelling, how do you manage to of music... Does she have any particular
balance responsibilities? favourites?
And how do you decide who plays what There’s one piece Nora must know quite well – we
concerts? were playing it a lot up until the week before she
We’ve been lucky in a few respects – firstly that was due as well as when she was a few months
our job is quite flexible and we are mostly able to old – Mozart’s epic Divertimento for string trio...
share the caring for Nora between us. We have Hopefully she still enjoys it! Her first experience
a lot of diary sessions to figure out the whole of listening to music (outside the womb) was
administration aspect of who’s playing what and when she was just a few days old, she was restless
who’s staying home. Secondly, there are concerts and we played her David Watkin’s solo Bach CD.
we’d both like to do. Let’s just say Oma and Opa It was magical – she went quiet and was transfixed
have increased their shares in KLM. It’s been for ages.
Hear us Summer Tour DATES 2017
––––––
in concert
DATE ORCHESTRA VENUE
Thursday 8 June FULL 1. Callander
Friday 9 June FULL 2. Thurso
Saturday 10 June FULL 3. Findhorn
Thursday 15 June FULL 4. Edinburgh
Thursday 22 June FULL 5. Greenock
Friday 23 June FULL 6. Langholm
Saturday 24 June FULL 7. Blair Castle 12
Tuesday 27 June Winds 8. Fyvie Castle
Wednesday 28 June Winds 9. Banchory 11
Thursday 29 June Winds 10. East Neuk Festival
Sunday 2 July Strings 10. East Neuk Festival
13
Thursday 20 July Strings 11. Shetland
Friday 21 July Strings 12. Shetland
Saturday 22 July Strings 13. Shetland
Thursday 27 July FULL 14. Stirling Castle
Friday 28 July FULL 15. Fraserburgh
Saturday 29 July FULL 16. Cults
Wednesday 13 September FULL 17. Strathpeffer
Thursday 14 September FULL 18. St Andrews
Friday 15 September FULL 19. Selkirk
Saturday 16 September FULL 20. Linlithgow

3 15
17 8
16
9

7
18
5
1 14 10
20 4

19

For full tour and ticket information visit www.sco.org.uk