Welcome to the SCO’s 2025|26 Season
I am delighted to invite you to a rich and varied collection of concerts in our 2025/26 Season, with plenty for every musical taste.
We’re proud to be expanding the SCO’s musical horizons more broadly than ever – as you’ll discover in the wide range of music we’re playing for you, and in the world-class performers joining us. Throughout it all, however, you’ll rediscover music’s power to inspire and console, to challenge and celebrate – and, of course, to entertain.
I’ve been delighted as always to work with our outstanding Principal Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev on the new Season – but I’ll leave it to him to introduce the concerts that he’s conducting.
I’m also proud that the SCO Chorus will be demonstrating their exceptional vocal talents across several concerts, from celebratory Glorias by Vivaldi and Poulenc to Mozart’s legendary Requiem, and also in what promises to be an especially beautiful selection of Christmas music.
We’re excited to be making music again with some of our most cherished friends, including Nicola Benedetti, Colin Currie, and Steven Osborne.
Pekka Kuusisto looks set to bring a typically pioneering perspective to Beethoven with his friends in Nordic folk trio Dreamers’ Circus, while Roderick Williams sings in his own orchestral arrangement of Butterworth’s poignant A Shropshire Lad, plus a brand-new piece by our much-praised Associate Composer Jay Capperauld.
Our brilliant Principal Guest Conductor Andrew Manze directs three minimalist masterpieces by John Adams as well as Vaughan Williams’ exquisite Serenade to Music – and he even picks apart the intricacies of Webern’s jewel-like Symphony. The New Dimensions series, meanwhile, continues to stretch all of our musical imaginations – come as you are, and immerse yourself in fascinating sounds in a laid-back setting.
I hope you enjoy the riches, the diversity, and even the surprises in your new Season. We’re looking forward to seeing you at our concerts.
Gavin Reid LVO Chief Executive, SCO
Maxim’s 2025/26 Season
I can hardly believe that 2025/26 will be my seventh season with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra! I love being in Scotland, where I know I’ll always receive an enthusiastic welcome – and I’m excited, of course, to continue my musical relationships with the SCO’s musicians. Just as much, I truly value the trust and affection I hope I’ve developed with you, the SCO’s listeners.
And I’m excited to share with you the concerts I’ll be directing in the 2025/26 Season – which will allow me to perform as conductor, pianist, and more.
Our opening concert traces a profound journey from darkness to light –from wartime grief in Strauss’ Metamorphosen to the blazing light of triumph in Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Just as dazzling is Vivaldi’s joyful Gloria, which I’ll be directing alongside the far more cosmopolitan Gloria by Poulenc, both with the excellent SCO Chorus.
I’ll be looking forward to the festive season with two magnificent – and very different – pieces: Berlioz’s sumptuous oratorio L’Enfance du Christ, and Tchaikovsky’s magical The Nutcracker. I felt privileged to conduct the SCO in Mozart’s final three symphonies at the BBC Proms in 2021, and I’m looking forward to bringing that trio of remarkable works to Scotland this Season – and our annual Baroque Inspirations concert is always a highlight of my musical year!
I’ll also be joining colleagues from within the Orchestra in two warmhearted chamber pieces by Schumann, as well as accompanying the SCO’s fantastic Principal Cello Philip Higham in the same composer’s lyrical Concerto, and the wonderful Nicola Benedetti in Mendelssohn’s beautiful Violin Concerto. I’ll be bringing the new Season to a colourful conclusion alongside another cherished colleague, when Steven Osborne joins us for Shostakovich’s madcap Piano Concerto No.1.
I can’t wait to share this music with you.
Maxim Emelyanychev Principal Conductor, SCO
Your Season
The Classics
From the glories of the Baroque to the colour and energy of the 21st century: masterpieces that you know and love – plus a few surprises along the way – in towering performances from world-renowned musicians including Nicola Benedetti, Steven Osborne, Colin Currie, and Pekka Kuusisto.
New Dimensions
Think again about classical concerts: music for the mind, body, and soul from minimalist masters Steve Reich and John Adams, plus vibrant saxophonist Jess Gillam. Make discoveries and explore new sound worlds: this is music to provoke, stimulate, and charm.
Festive Treats
Immerse yourself in the seasonal spirit with Principal Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev and two of music’s most evocative Christmastime works –Berlioz’s lavish Christmas oratorio L’Enfance du Christ and Tchaikovsky’s ever-popular The Nutcracker
Family Fun
Experience the SCO in a magical storytelling show specially created for younger listeners – and their older family and friends too, of course.
Choral Highlights
Be moved and inspired by the power of the human voice – in music for joyful celebration and poignant reflection, from Vivaldi’s dazzling Gloria to Mozart’s mighty Requiem and Vaughan Williams’ gorgeous Serenade to Music.
Matinee Concerts
Who said concerts had to be evening affairs? Spend an afternoon with the SCO in the company of virtuoso violinist Anthony Marwood, early music pioneer Peter Whelan, and charismatic violinist/director Lorenza Borrani – from new perspectives on Mozart to the grandeur of Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony.
Chamber Music
Get intimate with the SCO’s exceptional musicians amid the sparkling wit and dazzling interplay of chamber classics – from a Mozart-inspired serenade to Scottish masterpieces, and two of Schumann’s sunniest creations in the company of Maxim Emelyanychev.
Digital Season
Be captivated by the joy and passion of the SCO wherever you are in the world in specially created films featuring three ravishing pieces by SCO Associate Composer Jay Capperauld, one of Scotland’s most distinctive and original voices.
Your Multibuy
Book 4+ tickets and save
Book a minimum of four eligible concerts and receive great ticket discounts, plus take advantage of our flexible ticket exchange policy. The more concerts you book, the bigger the discount!
Spread the cost
You can spread the cost of your Season Multibuy by paying by Direct Debit over three monthly instalments (1 Jul, 1 Aug,1 Sep). If you would like to pay by Direct Debit we ask that you book no later than Friday 13 June 2025. Please call the SCO on 0131 557 6800 to make your booking and arrange your Direct Debit payment plan. Alternatively, you can purchase your Multibuy using a debit/credit card or by cheque (made payable to Scottish Chamber Orchestra).
How to book
Current 12+ Multibuy bookers | Mon 24 Mar – Fri 11 Apr 2025
12+ Multibuy bookers for the 2024/25 Season will receive a telephone call from us to arrange their booking for the 2025/26 Season during the booking period above. Where possible, we will hold their seats from the current Season for the upcoming 2025/26 Season.
Current 4-11 Multibuy bookers | Mon 14 Apr – Fri 2 May 2025
4-11 Multibuy bookers for the 2024/25 Season can book Multibuy packages for the 2025/26 Season via the SCO website, over the phone or by sending us a completed booking form.
New Multibuy bookers | Mon 12 May – Fri 26 Sep 2025
New bookers can purchase Multibuy packages for the 2025/26 Season via the SCO website, over the phone or by sending us a completed booking form.
Online
Visit sco.org.uk/multibuy to book your Multibuy package for the Season. Previous Multibuy bookers should log in to access priority booking online. New Multibuy bookers can book online from 12 May.
Online Multibuy bookings will only be available until 18 May, after which point all online ticket sales will be via venue box offices.
By phone
Call 0131 557 6800 between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday, and ask for our ticketing team.
By post
Send your completed booking form to us at SCO Tickets, 4 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5AB.
From Darkness to Light
2025/26 Season Opener
STRAUSS Metamorphosen
MACMILLAN Veni, Veni Emmanuel
BEETHOVEN Symphony No.5
Maxim Emelyanychev conductor
Colin Currie percussion
To launch our vibrant new Season, join the SCO players and our electrifying Principal Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev on an unforgettable journey from darkness to light.
Few can be left unmoved by the pity of Richard Strauss’ deeply cathartic Metamorphosen, a profoundly poignant reflection on the destruction of World War Two.
From its famously gripping opening, however, Beethoven’s best-loved Symphony - the Fifth - forges a path from compelling conflict to the blazing radiance of triumph.
In between, superstar Scottish percussionist Colin Currie makes the first of his appearances this Season as central protagonist in Sir James MacMillan’s joyful, theatrical, visionary percussion concerto Veni, Veni Emmanuel – a dazzling celebration of new life and new hope.
Kindly supported by Donald and Louise MacDonald in memory of Euan MacDonald
Thu 2 Oct, 7.30pm Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 3 Oct, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Sat 4 Oct, 7.30pm Perth Concert Hall
Gloria!
POULENC Sinfonietta
POULENC Gloria
VIVALDI Gloria
Maxim Emelyanychev conductor
Anna Dennis soprano
Rachel Redmond soprano
Tim Mead counter tenor
SCO Chorus
Gregory Batsleer chorus director
Exhilarating choral splendours from across two centuries, with the magnificent SCO Chorus and an exceptional line-up of vocal soloists under the energetic direction of Maxim Emelyanychev.
Ahymn of praise to the Creator, the Gloria brings you joy and life-affirming optimism whatever your beliefs. Vivaldi’s Gloria is one of the dazzling jewels of Baroque music – sunny, exuberant, and an all-embracing celebration of light and life. Poulenc’s Gloria blends Gallic wit and sophistication with its profound spiritual expression and is a captivating mix of the sacred and the playful.
To begin though, Poulenc unleashes zesty energy and musical mischief to celebrate French liberation after World War Two – his Sinfonietta is an outpouring of happiness, and the closest he came to writing a symphony.
Sponsored by Institut Français
Thu 9 Oct, 7.30pm Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 10 Oct, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Haydn’s Drum Roll
STRAUSS Suite in B-flat Op.4
HARTMANN Concerto funèbre
HAYDN Symphony No.103 in E-flat ‘Drum Roll’
Alina Ibragimova violin/director
Violinist Alina Ibragimova leads us from grief and fear to radiant joy in her deeply emotional concert with the SCO. Ibragimova is among today’s most compelling, perceptive soloists, combining a penetrating musical intellect with gripping, passionate playing – qualities very much on display in her intensely expressive programme.
Haydn composed his ‘Drum Roll’ Symphony expressly to impress, inspire and delight – and more than two centuries later, it still does all three. The sunny, colourful B-flat Suite was the piece that kick-started the 20-yearold Richard Strauss’ musical career, and its music feels just as fresh and appealing today.
Ibragimova’s concert centrepiece is a concerto she has long championed. Written during the dark first days of the Second World War, KarlAmadeus Hartmann’s Concerto funèbre draws on influences from Bruckner and Mahler in music of deep compassion, sadness and visionary hope.
Wed 22 Oct, 7.30pm Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews
Thu 23 Oct, 7.30pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 24 Oct, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Yeol Eum Son plays Mozart
MOZART Piano Concerto No.21 in C K467
WEBERN Symphony
MOZART Piano Concerto No.24 in C minor K491
Andrew Manze conductor
Yeol Eum Son piano
Exceptional South Korean pianist Yeol Eum Son has dazzled and delighted SCO audiences over the past couple of years with her exquisitely poetic playing and her exuberant enthusiasm. She is famed for her particularly meaningful insights in Mozart’s music, and she returns with two of the great composer’s most compelling concertos: the profoundly expressive No.21 and deeply dramatic No.24.
In between, SCO Principal Guest Conductor Andrew Manze guides you through one of music’s most fascinating creations. Every note tells a story in Anton Webern’s jewel-like 1928 Symphony, which distills all the expression and emotion of a larger work down to just a few, brief minutes.
Thu 30 Oct, 7.30pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Fri 31 Oct, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow Sat 1 Nov, 7.30pm Aberdeen Music Hall
Steve Reich+
New Dimensions
JOE DUDDELL Snowblind
HELEN GRIME River (UK Premiere)
STEVE REICH Runner
STEVE REICH Double Sextet
Colin Currie director/percussion
Minimalist masterpieces from the visionary US maverick composer Steve Reich – in performances directed by his close friend and trusted collaborator, Edinburgh-born Colin Currie.
Mesmerising power, galvanising rhythm, bewitching harmony: Reich’s Runner is a rich and brightly coloured tribute to raw energy, while the mesmerising Double Sextet won Reich the 2009 Pulitzer Prize, new music’s greatest accolade.
To begin, Currie is the soloist in the propulsive and beautifully reflective percussion concerto Snowblind, written for him by Manchester-born Joe Duddell, a collaborator with Elbow and James. And Scottish composer Helen Grime charts an evocative fluvial journey from source to sea.
Thu 6 Nov, 7.30pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Fri 7 Nov, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Schumann & Mozart with Anthony Marwood
SCHUMANN Overture, Scherzo and Finale
MOZART Violin Concerto No.1 in B-flat
HANDEL Agrippina: Sinfonia HWV 6
SCHUMANN Violin Concerto in D minor
Anthony Marwood director/violin
Please note: In Edinburgh and Glasgow, this is a matinee concert that starts at 2pm.
Accomplished soloist, perceptive director and close collaborator with the SCO, British violinistAnthony Marwood makes a welcome return for music to captivate you and – perhaps – surprise you.
The heartfelt and hauntingly beautiful Violin Concerto was one of the very last pieces Schumann created in his tragically short life. Though rarely performed, it’s a work of great intimacy and Romantic richness – qualities that also shine through in the vibrant, thoroughly entertaining Overture, Scherzo and Finale.
In between, Marwood showcases his exceptional skills in the witty First Violin Concerto by the teenage Mozart, and surveys the grandeur and brilliance of the overture to Handel’s dramatic 1709 opera, Agrippina
Thu 13 Nov, 2pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 14 Nov, 2pm City Halls, Glasgow
Sat 15 Nov, 7.30pm Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries
Carmina Gadelica Matinee
SCO & RCS Winds Side by Side
MOZART arr CEBRIÁN Music from The Marriage of Figaro
MACMILLAN Untold
CAPPERAULD Carmina Gadelica
DOVE Figures in the Garden
MOZART Sextet in B-flat KV270
MENDELSSOHN arr CEBRIÁN Music from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
SCO Wind Soloists
RCS Wind Soloists
The SCO’s internationally renowned Wind Soloists join forces with some of Scotland’s most accomplished young players for a kaleidoscopic concert of wit and wild imagination – with Mozart rediscovered amid some distinctively Scottish landscapes.
SCO Principal Flute André Cebrián follows in a centuries-old tradition in reworking music from Mozart’s sparkling operas for the velvety richness of a wind ensemble, while Jonathan Dove imagines The Marriage of Figaro taking place among the blooms and bushes of a very English garden.
By way of contrast, Sir James MacMillan explores an Irish love song in his early, rarely heard Untold, while SCO Associate Composer Jay Capperauld takes inspiration from Gaelic hymns, incantations and songs in his striking new wind dectet, Carmina Gadelica
In partnership with Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Fri 21 Nov, 1pm Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow*
Sat 22 Nov, 3pm Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews
Sun 23 Nov, 3pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
*Please note: This concert is not part of the SCO Multibuy ticket offer.
L’Enfance du Christ
BERLIOZ L’Enfance du Christ
Maxim Emelyanychev conductor
Paula Murrihy Mary
Andrew Staples Narrator, Centurion
Roderick Williams Joseph, Polydorus
Callum Thorpe Herod, Ishmaelite Father
SCO Chorus
Gregory Batsleer chorus director
Welcome the coming festive season with one of the tenderest, most captivating Christmas pieces ever created.
L’Enfance du Christ is a lavish operatic oratorio that tells of Herod’s Massacre of the Innocents, and the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt, blending surging drama and ethereal wonder, mighty choral set pieces with sublime solos of exquisite beauty. Berlioz conjures music of deep passion and belief, but it’s also a moving story of new life and family love that brings you up close to Mary, Joseph and Jesus as they flee their home and run for their lives.
Maxim Emelyanychev directs Berlioz’s visionary masterpiece, with an exceptional cast of international vocal soloists, and the richness of the SCO Chorus.
Thu 27 Nov, 7.30pm Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 28 Nov, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
The Nutcracker
TCHAIKOVSKY
The Nutcracker
Maxim Emelyanychev conductor
Introduced by Jay Capperauld
From the delicate ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ to the elegant ‘Waltz of the Flowers’, Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker conjures all the magic and wonder of Christmas – and it’s as much of a seasonal treat for classical newcomers as it is for aficionados.
Maxim Emelyanychev invites you to immerse yourself in all the sugar, snow and sparkle of the composer’s full ballet score, as young Clara sees her beloved Nutcracker transformed into a handsome Prince, who whisks her away to the Land of Sweets.
With its heart-melting melodies and foot-tapping dances – and singers joining the Orchestra to bring his timeless classic to colourful life – this is a Christmas feast for the senses.
Wed 3 Dec, 7.30pm Perth Concert Hall
Thu 4 Dec, 7.30pm Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 5 Dec, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Gnarly Buttons
New Dimensions
ADAMS Shaker Loops
ADAMS Gnarly Buttons
ADAMS Fearful Symmetries
Andrew Manze conductor
Maximiliano Martín clarinet
Once a self-identifying minimalist, radical American composer John Adams quickly jumped from cool, hypnotic pulsations to red-hot emotion and vast cinematic soundscapes in his colourful, witty music. Experience that thrilling journey in three iconic pieces by this pioneering musician.
Minimalist classic Shaker Loops is a rippling soundscape of quivering energy – sometimes frenetic, sometimes meditative, but never less than mesmerisingly beautiful.
Mooing cows and ancient American hymns are among the inspirations behind Adams’ zany clarinet concerto Gnarly Buttons – played by charismatic SCO Principal Clarinet Maximiliano Martín – which blends humour and heart in music that spans jazz, pop, folk and the surging repetitions of minimalism. Fearful Symmetries is one of Adams’ boldest and brightest pieces, a high-energy workout of driving rhythms and largerthan-life orchestral sound.
Thu 11 Dec, 7.30pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 12 Dec, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Mozart Matinee with Peter Whelan
MOZART Serenade KV 320 ‘Posthorn’, interspersed with arias from Mitridate, La clemenza di Tito, Così fan tutte and The marriage of Figaro.
MOZART Overture, Der Schauspieldirektor
Peter Whelan conductor/fortepiano
Tara Erraught mezzo soprano
Maximiliano Martín clarinet
Peter Franks posthorn
From a big-hearted Serenade to uplifting opera arias – celebrate the full breadth of Mozart’s musical glories at this sumptuous concert in the company of some passionate Mozartians.
Peter Whelan is one of Europe’s most exciting interpreters of Baroque and Classical repertoire – formerly the SCO’s Principal Bassoon, he’s now Artistic Director of the Irish Baroque Orchestra. He intersperses the movements of Mozart’s festive ‘Posthorn’ Serenade – which wittily incorporates the distinctive sounds of the mail-coach trumpet –with vibrant arias from some of the composer’s most adored operas, sung by acclaimed Irish mezzo soprano Tara Erraught.
From strong emotions to effervescent fun, experience all the musical mastery of Mozart.
Wed 17 Dec, 2pm Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews
Thu 18 Dec, 2pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 19 Dec, 2pm City Halls, Glasgow
A Ceremony of Carols
BRITTEN A Ceremony of Carols
REBECCA DALE Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
TALLIS Vidente Miraculum
RODERICK WILLIAMS O Adonai
JAY CAPPERAULD The Winter’s Brightening (World Premiere)*
SCO Chorus
Gregory Batsleer chorus director
Eleanor Hudson harp
As Christmas grows close, step into the warm glow of choral splendour as the SCO Chorus fills Greyfriars Kirk with seasonal music to captivate, calm and inspire you.
Immerse yourself in Tallis’ serene Renaissance polyphony and Britten’s magical choral ritual welcoming the Yuletide season with a tapestry of carols ancient and modern. Celebrated British composer Rebecca Dale provides spiritual insights, while Roderick Williams surrounds you with wintry birdsong and celebration, supplication and faith in his luminous O Adonai.
A brand-new seasonal creation from SCO Associate Composer Jay Capperauld brings the concert to a light-filled, warming conclusion.
*Commissioned by the SCO Chorus
Sun 21 & Mon 22 Dec, 7.30pm Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh
Please note: These concerts are not part of the SCO Multibuy ticket offer.
Viennese New Year
STRAUSS II Tales from the Vienna Woods
J STRAUSS II Die Fledermaus, Overture and Arias
LÉHAR Gold and Silver Waltz
J STRAUSS II Blue Danube Waltz
J STRAUSS Radetsky March
Andrew Manze conductor Rachel Redmond soprano
Please note: In Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Perth this is a matinee concert that starts at 3pm.
Immerse yourself in all the glorious opulence of a traditional Viennese New Year celebration – and welcome 2026 in lavish style.
Indulge your senses with a tempting selection of timeless Viennese waltzes, polkas and more by the iconic Strauss family – from the sparkling Die Fledermaus Overture to the rapturous beauty of The Blue Danube
SCO Principal Guest Conductor Andrew Manze is your guide to this captivating world of musical wonders, and he’s joined by internationally celebrated, Glasgow-born soprano Rachel Redmond.
Sponsored by The Scotsman
Thu 1 Jan, 3pm Usher Hall, Edinburgh Sat 3 Jan, 3pm Aberdeen Music Hall Sun 4 Jan, 3pm Perth Concert Hall
Haydn & Schubert with Lorenza Borrani
HAYDN Symphony No.56 in C
SCHNITTKE Concerto Grosso No.1
SCHUBERT Symphony No.8 ‘Unfinished’
Lorenza Borrani director/violin
Please note: In Edinburgh and Glasgow, this is a matinee concert that starts at 2pm.
Smouldering drama collides with daring humour in this vibrant matinee concert directed by inspirational Italian violinist Lorenza Borrani.
As energetic as she is charismatic – and Leader of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe since 2008 – Borrani brought an intimate chamber sensibility to her SCO debut in spring 2024. She returns to delve deep into one of classical music’s greatest enigmas. Nobody knows why Franz Schubert abandoned his ‘Unfinished’Symphony after just two movements – but with their haunting beauty and dramatic intensity, they come together in one of the repertoire’s most compelling creations.
Soviet pioneer Alfred Schnittke hurls together Baroque parodies, avantgarde extremism, tangos, waltzes and more in the madcap musical funhouse of his Concerto Grosso No.1, while Haydn offers wit, sophistication and elegance in his joyful Symphony No.56.
Thu 15 Jan, 2pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 16 Jan, 2pm City Halls, Glasgow
Sat 17 Jan, 7.30pm Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries
Mozart’s Last Three Symphonies
MOZART
Symphony No.39
Symphony No.40
Symphony No.41
Maxim Emelyanychev conductor
Mozart’s final trilogy of symphonies are visionary, pioneering works, as powerful as they are passionate, and represent a lifetime of emotion and experience from a composer at the height of his musical creativity. They’re also a mystery, written together in a blaze of white-hot creativity, though it’s not known why – some even suggest Mozart may have conceived them as a single, monumental mega-symphony.
Principal Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev and the SCO drew adulation from critics and audiences alike for their fresh, incisive performances of these symphonies at the 2021 BBC Proms. Discover – or rediscover – the pieces’ compelling power as Maxim brings his vibrant visions to Scotland, from the elegance and warmth of No.39 to the deep passions and drama of No.40, and the triumphant glories of No. 41, the ‘Jupiter’ Symphony.
Kindly supported by Anne, Tom and Natalie Usher
Thu 29 Jan, 7.30pm Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 30 Jan, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Sat 31 Jan, 7.30pm Aberdeen Music Hall
The Great Grumpy Gaboon
Relaxed performance suitable for 4-8 yrs | BSL interpreted
CAPPERAULD The Great Grumpy Gaboon*
CORRINA CAMPBELL Story and illustrations
Gordon Bragg conductor
After sell-out performances in 2024 and travelling the country in 2025, The Great Grumpy Gaboon returns in 2026 for a fun-packed performance.
While the Gaboon’s friends, Long-legged Lin, Fluey-Lu, Woolly Wello and Hoppity Boppit, try everything to cheer the Gaboon up, none of them realise that the musical mischief maker, Screature, is lurking in the shadows of the orchestra.
Screature holds the key to the Gaboon’s mood and it's only with the help of theAll-Knowing Umpet, a wise and kindly creature, that the friends can solve the mystery of the Gaboon’s grumps.
Join the Grumpy Gaboon and friends on this fun, musical adventure as together they discover the importance of friendship and forgiveness.
*Commissioned by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Fri 6 Feb, 1.15pm Perth Concert Hall (Schools Performance)
Sat 7 Feb, 12pm & 2.30pm Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh
Sun 8 Feb, 2pm City Halls, Glasgow
Please note: This concert is not part of the SCO Multibuy ticket offer.
Baroque Inspirations
BACH Brandenburg Concerto No.3
SCARLATTI arr CAPPERAULD Stylus Scarlatti (World Premiere)*
HANDEL Water Music Suite in F
BRITTEN Simple Symphony
SCHNITTKE Gogol Suite
Maxim Emelyanychev conductor/harpsichord
Old and new, ancient and modern: Principal Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev returns with an annual highlight of the SCO Season, rediscovering the musical splendours of the Baroque alongside more recent composers who have drawn inspiration from it.
Bach’s Third Brandenburg Concerto dazzles with brilliant invention and rhythmic drive, while Handel set out to impress no less a figure than King George I with the joyful fanfares and elegant dances of his lavish Water Music
Closer to our own times, Britten reworked childhood tunes and Baroque dances in his charming miniature Symphony, while SCO Associate Composer Jay Capperauld unveils a brand-new piece that reimagines Scarlatti keyboard sonatas for the bright colours of an orchestra. To close, Alfred Schnittke’s wild, outrageous Gogol Suite half-quotes Bach, Haydn, Beethoven and more to outrageous effect – it simply has to be heard to be believed.
*Commissioned by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Thu 19 Feb, 7.30pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 20 Feb, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Maxim & Friends Chamber Matinee
SCHUMANN
Piano Quartet in E-flat, Op.47
Piano Quintet in E-flat, Op.44
Maxim Emelyanychev piano
Stephanie Gonley violin
Marcus Barcham Stevens violin
Max Mandel viola
Philip Higham cello
Experience the exceptional artistry of SCO Principal Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev in his other great musical passion: chamber music. As well as an effervescent conductor, Maxim is an accomplished keyboard soloist: join him and his friends and colleagues from the Orchestra in two very different but equally heartfelt works by Robert Schumann, written within just weeks of each other.
Schumann’s richly Romantic Piano Quartet offers warmth, depth and uplifting lyricism. His Piano Quintet, by contrast, is music that can barely contain its exuberant joy and vitality, conceived on an almost symphonic scale.
Sun 22 Feb, 3pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Benedetti plays Mendelssohn
BRAHMS Academic Festival Overture
MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto
BRAHMS Symphony No.4
Maxim Emelyanychev conductor
Nicola Benedetti violin
Nicola Benedetti has performed Mendelssohn’s exhilarating Violin Concerto for many years. Bringing together sublime lyrical beauty and fizzing violin fireworks, the Concerto is the ideal showcase for the worldrenowned Scottish violin virtuoso’s consummate talents. Discover Benedetti’s compelling, profoundly beautiful vision of the piece in the company of her long-time musical collaborators: the SCO’s exceptional musicians and conductor Maxim Emelyanychev.
With its boundless fun and catchy tunes, Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture transports you to the heart of boisterous, joyful student life. Maxim closes this concert of Romantic riches with Brahms’ final symphony: its sonic grandeur and emotional depth can’t fail to inspire and move all who hear it.
The Quilter Cheviot Benedetti Series
Thu 26 Feb, 7.30pm Usher Hall, Edinburgh Fri 27 Feb, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Benedetti plays Mendelssohn (Inverness)
MENDELSSOHN
Overture, The Hebrides
Violin Concerto
Symphony No.3 ‘Scottish’
Maxim Emelyanychev conductor
Nicola Benedetti violin
Experience the magic of Mendelssohn with the SCO, Principal Conductor
Maxim Emelyanychev and superstar violinist Nicola Benedetti.
Let the evocative melodies of the composer’s Overture, The Hebrides transport you to the rugged beauty of Scotland's islands. Witness Benedetti's virtuosity as she performs one of the most beloved violin concertos in the repertoire and finally, immerse yourself in the rich, lyrical landscapes of Mendelssohn's homage to Scotland with his Symphony No. 3 ‘Scottish’.
The Quilter Cheviot Benedetti Series
Sat 28 Feb, 7.30pm Eden Court, Inverness
Borrani & Beethoven
ROSSINI Overture, The Barber of Seville
BEETHOVEN Concert Aria: Ah, perfido!
BRITTEN Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge
BEETHOVEN Symphony No.8
Lorenza Borrani director/violin
Robin Johannsen soprano
Italian-born Lorenza Borrani is fast becoming one of the SCO’s closest friends and collaborators. She returns for her second concert this Season with an evening of wit, humour and magical evocations.
With its dashing melodies and its musical pranks, the Eighth is Beethoven’s sunniest, happiest Symphony – and the ideal match for Borrani’s vivacious style. She contrasts it with the high emotions and deep drama of the composer’s miniature opera scene ‘Ah, perfido!’.
There’s more humour in Rossini’s boisterous Barber of Seville Overture, and Britten conjures exquisite musical visions in his enchanting tribute to his beloved teacher.
Thu 5 Mar, 7.30pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Fri 6 Mar, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Saxophone Dreams with Jess Gillam
New Dimensions
ANNA CLYNE Sound and Fury†
DANI HOWARD Saxophone Concerto*
GEORGE WALKER Lyric for Strings
CAROLINE SHAW Entr’acte
DAVE HEATH The Celtic*
JOHN HARLE Rant!*
Ben Glassberg conductor
Jess Gillam saxophones*
Please note: this concert is not part of the New Dimensions series in St Andrews.
An inspiring fixture on radio and TV, Cumbrian-born Jess Gillam is first and foremost a world-class saxophonist. She brings her invigorating musical personality to a typically adventurous collection of music across diverse styles and sounds for the last of our New Dimensions concerts. Young British composer Dani Howard wrote her effervescent new Saxophone Concerto specially for Gillam, while Dave Heath throws you into the whirling energy of a raucous ceilidh in his galvanising concerto
The Celtic
Haydn provides the calmer inspiration forAnna Clyne’s scintillating Sound and Fury, written for the SCO in 2019, and also for Caroline Shaw’s mercurial Entr’acte. The great African American composer George Walker, meanwhile, regularly moves listeners to tears with his striking Lyric for Strings
†Commissioned by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Wed 11 Mar, 7.30pm Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews
Thu 12 Mar, 7.30pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 13 Mar, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Beethoven, Pekka & the Dreamers’ Circus
BEETHOVEN
Symphony No.7
interspersed with folk tunes played by Dreamers’ Circus and Pekka Kuusisto
Pekka Kuusisto director/violin
Dreamers’ Circus:
Ale Carr cittern
Nikolaj Busk piano/accordion
Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen violin
Classical and folk join forces for a thrilling celebration of dance, in this joyfully unconventional programme masterminded and conducted by much-loved Finnish violin pioneer Pekka Kuusisto.
Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony dances its way from start to blazing finish, propelled along by driving rhythms, and brimming over with energy, passion and bounding positivity.
Kuusisto intersperses the Symphony’s four movements with a specially curated collection of folk tunes that he plays with his friends and colleagues in Danish/Swedish trio Dreamers’ Circus, injecting a distinctively 21st-century freshness into trad music from across Europe.
Pekka Kuusisto Visiting Artist Chair kindly supported by The Honorary Consulate of Finland, Edinburgh and Glasgow
Thu 19 Mar, 7.30pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 20 Mar, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Sat 21 Mar, 7.30pm Aberdeen Music Hall
The Language of Eden
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Serenade to Music
ELGAR Serenade
BUTTERWORTH arr WILLIAMS Six Songs from ‘A Shropshire Lad’
HAYDN ‘The Representation of Chaos’ from The Creation CAPPERAULD The Language of Eden (World Premiere)*
Andrew Manze conductor
Roderick Williams baritone
SCO Chorus
Gregory Batsleer chorus director
From poignant pastoral visions to stirring choral majesty: SCO Principal Guest Conductor Andrew Manze conducts an evening of rapturous English music and striking new sounds, in the company of exceptional British baritone and composer Roderick Williams and the fine voices of the SCO Chorus.
Williams sings in his own orchestral arrangements of Butterworth’s bittersweet A Shropshire Lad, in which nostalgia for the English countryside mingles heartbreakingly with premonitions of coming war. Vaughan Williams, meanwhile, summons visionary wonder to celebrate the power of music itself in his radiant Serenade while the young Elgar unleashes passion and lyricism in his playful Serenade for Strings.
After Haydn’s startling ‘Representation of Chaos’, Roderick Williams is also the soloist in a brand-new choral work by Jay Capperauld, with libretto by Niall Campbell, that reimagines the birth of language itself, The Language of Eden.
*Commissioned by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Thu 26 Mar, 7.30pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Fri 27 Mar, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Bohemian Rhapsodies: A Celebration of Czech Music
KAPRALOVA Suite en Miniature Op.1
MARTINŮ Violin Concerto No.2
MARTINŮ La revue de cuisine
DVOŘÁK Czech Suite
Jonian Ilias-Kadesha director/violin
No thunderbolts and lightning, maybe, but plenty of kaleidoscopic colour, whirling rhythms and strong flavours as flamboyant Greek-Albanian violinist Jonian Ilias-Kadesha directs a concert dedicated to the gutsy glories of Czech music.
Dvořák takes your hand for a set of exhilarating dances from his Bohemian homeland, while Martinů whisks you away for exotic travels in his ravishingly beautiful, deeply romantic Second Violin Concerto. Sample absurdist comedy in Martinů’s surrealist La revue de cuisine – a jazzflavoured love story for everyday kitchen utensils. To begin, an exquisite, evocative Suite from lost Czech voice Vítezslava Kaprálová, who died aged just 25.
Thu 16 Apr, 7.30pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 17 Apr, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Baroque Threads, Contemporary Colours
COUPERIN arr ADÈS Les barricades mystérieuses
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Suite for Viola and Small Orchestra (Selection)
TIPPETT Fantasia on a Theme of Corelli
RAMEAU Les Sauvages
LINDBERG Viola Concerto (Scottish Premiere)
Lawrence Power director/viola
Kaleidoscopic hues and big emotions sit side by side in this vibrant concert weaving together the Baroque era and the present day, directed by outstanding British viola player Lawrence Power.
After two catchy tunes by Baroque masters Couperin and Rameau – the first in a witty arrangement by contemporary British composer Thomas Adès – Tippett spins visionary tendrils of sound in his rapturous Corelliinspired Fantasia, while Vaughan Williams saved some of his most memorably melodic music for his rarely-heard Suite.
Power himself is the dedicatee of the Viola Concerto by Finnish powerhouse composer Magnus Lindberg: expect scintillating soundscapes and perfumed harmonies in this deeply charismatic music.
Wed 22 Apr, 7.30pm Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews
Thu 23 Apr, 7.30pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 24 Apr, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Mozart Requiem
HAYDN Paukenmesse (Mass in Time of War)
MOZART Requiem
Riccardo Minasi conductor
Louise Alder soprano
Hanna Hipp mezzo soprano
Julien Henric tenor
Daniel Okulitch bass baritone
SCO Chorus
Gregory Batsleer chorus director
From its request by a dark stranger to its gruelling creation on the composer’s deathbed, Mozart’s Requiem is a piece haunted by mysteries. It’s also an awe-inspiring contemplation of life’s profoundest questions, conveyed through music of enormous courage and compassion, beauty and power.
Charismatic interpreter of 18th century music, Riccardo Minasi is joined by the excellent SCO Chorus and a brilliant line-up of vocal soloists.
Another ambitious piece launches this concert of choral splendours. Haydn’s ‘Mass in Time of War’ is a joyful and deeply expressive celebration of peace, first heard when Austria feared invasion by Napoleon’s armies.
Thu 30 Apr, 7.30pm Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 1 May, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Schumann Cello Concerto
MENDELSSOHN Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage
SCHUMANN Cello Concerto*
WIDMANN Albumblätter (UK Premiere)*
DEBUSSY Petite Suite
Maxim Emelyanychev conductor
Philip Higham cello*
From a daring maritime adventure to a captivating showcase for the soulful cello – in the company of vibrant Principal Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev and exceptional SCO Principal Cello Philip Higham.
An international soloist as well as a pivotal SCO musician, Philip Higham takes centre-stage for the poetry and passion of Schumann’s entrancing Cello Concerto, written in a two-week burst of inspiration.
German composer Jörg Widmann pays affectionate homage to Schumann in his witty Albumblätter, receiving its first UK performance, while Debussy takes us dancing and sailing in his charming Petite Suite. Mendelssohn weighs the anchor for more distant shores, however, in his thrilling celebration of seafaring heroism.
Thu 7 May, 7.30pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 8 May, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
Sat 9 May, 7.30pm Aberdeen Music Hall
Dvořák ‘New World’ Symphony
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No.9
SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No.1
DVOŘÁK Symphony No.9
Maxim Emelyanychev conductor
Steven Osborne piano
Aaron Akugbo trumpet
Join Maxim and the SCO musicians for an electrifying and emotional conclusion to the Season – with one of the most cherished symphonies of them all.
While teaching in New York, Antonín Dvořák was influenced by traditional American tunes to conjure the grandeur and epic vision of his ‘New World’ Symphony, an inspiring celebration of new discoveries and new possibilities.
Just as joyfully, Maxim is joined by exceptional Scottish musicians Steven Osborne andAaronAkugbo for the wild switchback ride of Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No.1, a dazzling mix of virtuoso keyboard fireworks and boisterous trumpet tunes blending razor-sharp humour and moving pathos.
We start, though, with Shostakovich’s brightest, happiest, and most optimistic Symphony.
Kindly supported by Claire and Mark Urquhart
Wed 13 May, 7.30pm Perth Concert Hall
Thu 14 May, 7.30pm Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Fri 15 May, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
The
Musical World of Jay Capperauld
Digital Season 2025/26
Wherever you are in the world, experience the joy and passion of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in three thrilling performances, captured in a trio of specially commissioned films recorded in Edinburgh’s atmospheric Leith Theatre. Get up close to the SCO’s exceptional musicians as they perform three enthralling pieces by SCO Associate Composer, Jay Capperauld.
Hailed as one of Scotland’s most distinctive and original musical voices, Capperauld creates works that teem with energy and ideas, with profound emotions and mischievous wit. His music sets out to challenge and provoke – sometimes posing fundamental questions about life and death – but also to inspire and entertain.
Experience three new Scottish masterpieces conceived and created specifically for the Orchestra, in definitive performances from the SCO and Principal Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev, and the SCO Chorus and Chorus Director Gregory Batsleer.
Join the SCO’s global community to watch live as each film is premiered online, or catch up for a whole year after the first broadcast date.
Free to view
Co-presented by The Scotsman
The Musical World of Jay Capperauld
Digital Season 2025/26
The Origin of Colour | Thu 16 Oct, 7.30pm
Capperauld’s kaleidoscopic, Calvino-inspired orchestral showpiece launched the SCO’s 50th Anniversary Season in style, imagining the first colours illuminating an otherwise monochrome world in music of vibrant energy and iridescent hues. Discover (or rediscover) this dazzling, delightful music in a thrilling performance by the SCO and Maxim Emelyanychev.
Supported by the Vaughan Williams Foundation
Bruckner’s Skull | Thu 12 Feb, 7.30pm
From the multicoloured to the macabre: Capperauld’s murky creation was inspired by the life-and-death obsessions of Austrian composer Anton Bruckner, who reputedly kissed the exhumed skulls of Beethoven and Schubert when the composers’ remains were transferred between Viennese cemeteries. Premiered last Season to enormous acclaim, this audacious creation dares to stare death directly in the face – experience its uncanny power in this performance from the SCO and Maxim Emelyanychev.
Supported by the Fidelio Charitable Trust and the Marchus Trust
The Night Watch | Thu 2 Apr, 7.30pm
Capperauld’s tender choral work is a meditation on parenthood and the love between father and child, a joyful, intimate setting of a poem by Scottish writer Niall Campbell. Immerse yourself in its jazz-inflected harmonies and radiant wonder in a performance by the SCO Chorus and Chorus Director Gregory Batsleer.
Summer Season 2025
Each summer the SCO travels the length and breadth of Scotland, bringing wonderful music-making to audiences across the country.
SCO Wind Soloists in Concert
Wed 11 June, 7.30pm Kames Village Hall
Thu 12 June, 7.30pm Kilmelford Village Hall
Fri 13 June, 7.30pm Crianlarich Village Hall
Sat 14 June, 7.30pm Gartmore Village Hall
Summer Serenade
Thu 12 June, 7.30pm Brechin Cathedral
Fri 13 June, 7.30pm Fochabers Public Institute
Sat 14 June, 7.30pm Fortrose Academy Theatre
Schubert Symphony No.5
Thu 19 June, 7.30pm Badenoch Centre, Kingussie
Fri 20 June, 7.30pm Golspie High School
Sat 21 June, 7.30pm Universal Hall, Findhorn
East Neuk Festival
Wed 25 June, 6.30pm The Bowhouse, St Monans
Schubert & Mozart
Thu 26 June, 8pm Stirling Castle
Fri 27 June, 7.30pm Queen’s Hall, Dunoon
Sat 28 June, 7.30pm Town Hall, Hawick
Summer Classics
Thu 17 July, 7.30pm Town House, Hamilton
Fri 18 July, 7.30pm Castle Douglas Town Hall
Sat 19 July, 7.30pm Ayr Town Hall
Edinburgh International Festival
Sat 9 Aug, 7.30pm Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Wed 13-Sat 16 Aug Edinburgh Playhouse
Rossini & Schubert
Wed 27 Aug, 7.30pm Airdrie Town Hall
Thu 28 Aug, 7.30pm Blair Castle, Blair Atholl
Fri 29 Aug, 7.30pm Eden Court Theatre, Inverness
Tea Dance Concerts
Dementia-friendly
Our popular Tea Dance Concerts go from strength to strength, visiting a number of Scottish venues across the 2025/26 Season.
Join SCO musicians for an afternoon of wonderful music and light refreshments in these lively performances where the programme and format are designed especially for people living with dementia.
We are delighted that young musicians from Sistema Scotland’s Big Noise communities will be joining us to perform as part of these concerts.
Supported by J Macdonald Menzies Charitable Trust and Morton Charitable Trust
In association with Sistema Scotland and Alzheimer Scotland
Wed 23 April 2025, 2pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Thu 24 April 2025, 2pm Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries
Wed 4 June 2025, 2pm Albert Halls, Stirling
Thu 5 June 2025, 2pm Kirkintilloch Town Hall
Wed 8 April 2026, 2pm The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Thu 9 April 2026, 2pm Maryhill Burgh Halls, Glasgow
Tickets £6, a carer goes free. Limited capacity – early booking advised. For bookings, including wheelchair users and companion tickets, please contact the SCO directly on 0131 557 6800 or email boxoffice@sco.org.uk
Please note: These concerts are not part of the SCO Multibuy ticket offer.
Immerse 2025
Secondary Schools Concert
Immerse is a unique orchestral experience for upper secondary music and art pupils that enables students to experience the excitement of a live orchestra in concert and explore the relationship between music and art.
Immerse 2025 features The Origin of Colour by SCOAssociate Composer Jay Capperauld. Jay will introduce the programme himself and share how he created his exciting work. He will be joined by visual artist and musician Kirsty Matheson, who will present her own paintings inspired by The Origin of Colour and Beethoven’s Sixth symphony.
Together, they will also discuss the phenomenon of synesthesia and how this has shaped both of their work.
Tue 2 Sep, 1pm Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries
Wed 3 Sep, 1pm Ayr Town Hall
Thu 4 Sep, 1pm Lanternhouse, Cumbernauld
Running time: approx 1 hour 15 minutes.
Please note: Immerse concerts are offered free to schools and seats are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
To book your school or class onto Immerse 2025 email boxoffice@sco.org.uk
For information on travel bursaries email jasmine.munns@sco.org.uk or call 0131 557 6800.
If you are a school teacher or music tutor, free tickets for school groups are available for selected concerts, along with open rehearsals throughout the season. For details on availability and how to book, visit sco.org.uk/schools-go-free or email boxoffice@sco.org.uk
Big Ears, Little Ears
Big Ears, Little Ears is our relaxed concert series for children under the age of five and their grown-ups. These interactive performances are playful, multi-sensory introductions to live orchestral music and enable our youngest music lovers to enjoy up-close and personal musical performances.
Join us for Big Ears, Little Ears – an enchanting, multisensory musical adventure for children under five and their families.
This is a BIG experience for LITTLE music fans to enjoy playful, interactive performances with a quartet of SCO musicians, perfect for introducing your children to the magic of live orchestral music!
Supported by The Gannochy Trust
Mon 31 Mar 2025, 10am & 11.30am Laidlaw Music Centre, St Andrews
Fri 25 Apr 2025, 10am & 11.30am Perth Theatre, Joan Knight Studio (nurseries only)
Sat 26 Apr 2025, 10am & 11.30am Perth Theatre, Joan Knight Studio
Please note: These concerts are not part of the SCO Multibuy offer.
Under 18s go FREE!
The SCO is committed to making live classical music accessible to the next generation, which is why all young music lovers under the age of 18 can experience our concerts free of charge*.
Whether it’s a family outing or an introduction to classical music, it is easier than ever to enjoy an inspiring live performance from a worldclass orchestra.
Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a paying adult.
*Please note: The Great Grumpy Gaboon and Dementia-friendly Concerts are not included in this offer.
Craigmillar Residency
A showcase of the SCO’s Craigmillar Residency
2025 marks the fourth year of the SCO’s five-year residency in the Craigmillar community, a project designed to enrich community life, foster a long-term culture of creativity and improve wellbeing through music and creative activities.
Throughout the last year we engaged over 2,000 people of all ages through schools and community projects, delivering two early-years and primary school initiatives, supporting musicmaking at Castlebrae High School, and running three community programmes.
Schools Activity
We continued working across local primary schools to provide workshops focusing on entry-level music education and exposure to live music for primary and early years pupils.
We provided our Meet the Musicians programme, bringing small ensembles of professional musicians into school settings for interactive workshops.
At Castlebrae High School, we continued to develop our singing for wellbeing programme, Castlebrae Voices, a popular new school choir.
Community Activity
In partnership with Craigmillar Now, Seen & Heard offered creative workshops for adults, featuring Associate Composer Jay Capperauld, Visual Artist Karolina Glusiec, and SCO musicians Su-a Lee and Jamie Kenny.
Craigmillar Voices nurtured the creation of a self-sustaining community choir under the guidance of workshop leader Moira Morrison, drawing inspiration from local songs and histories.And our ReConnect programme continued in collaboration with Caring in Craigmillar.
Performances
On top of our project offerings, we have enjoyed inviting project participants to a number of concerts and open rehearsals – gaining unique insight into thepreparation and performance process.
Tapestry
A showcase of the SCO’s 5-year Craigmillar Residency
Join us for the SCO’s end of residency celebration, Tapestry, a vibrant showcase of the Craigmillar community’s creativity and heritage.
This unique concert celebrates five transformative years of collaboration and will feature a stunning 25-minute through-composed piece curated by Jay Capperauld.
Blending Craigmillar’s iconic songs with original works by the SCO Seen and Heard Ensemble and SCO Craigmillar Voices group, the music will be accompanied by an evocative projection by Karolina Glusiec, weaving together archival treasures and new artistic creations.
Experience the rich tapestry of Craigmillar’s arts legacy brought to life by the SCO and the inspiring community that shaped it.
Sun 29 Mar 2026, 3pm The Queen's Hall Edinburgh
Tickets £5
Please note: This concert is not part of the SCO Multibuy ticket offer. Craigmillar community tickets are available through community partners and outlets.
International Tours
As one of Scotland’s national performing companies, the SCO plays a major role in Scotland’s musical life. We are also very proud cultural ambassadors with an international reputation for world-class performance.
Maxim Emelyanychev conductor
Vilde Frang violin
Wed 21 May Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam
Fri 23 May Polish Baltic Philharmonic Hall, Gdansk
Sat 31 May Tonhalle, Zürich
Maxim Emelyanychev conductor°
Maxim Emelyanychev conductor/piano*
Colin Currie percussion°
Robert Jordan bagpipes†
Fri 19 Sep Romanian Athenaeum, Bucharest (Enescu Festival)°
Sun 21 Sep State Philharmonic, Thalia Hall, Sibiu (Enescu Festival)°
Tue 23 Sep Filharmonie, Brn (Brno International Music Festival)* †
Thu 25 Sep Bozar, Brussels°
Fri 26 Sep Opera House, Bonn (Beethovenfest)°
Sun 28 Sep Philharmonie, Essen°
To support our International Touring, please contact Mary on 0131 478 8369 or email mary.clayton@sco.org.uk.
Support Us
Each year, the SCO must fundraise around £1.2 million to bring extraordinary musical performances to the stage and support groundbreaking education and community initiatives beyond it.
If you share our passion for transforming lives through the power of music and want to be part of our ongoing success, we invite you to join our community of regular donors.
Your support, no matter the size, has a profound impact on our work –and as a donor, you’ll enjoy an even closer connection to the Orchestra.
To learn more and support the SCO from as little as £5 per month, please contact Hannah at hannah.wilkinson@sco.org.uk or call 0131 478 8364.
The Sir Charles Mackerras Circle
Supporting the Scottish Chamber Orchestra through leaving a gift in your Will is one of the most meaningful ways to help secure our future.
Legacies empower us to plan with confidence, ensuring the SCO can continue to deliver exceptional musical experiences that enrich lives and strengthen communities across Scotland and beyond. Every gift, no matter its size, plays a crucial role in sustaining this mission.
Our former Conductor Laureate, Sir Charles Mackerras, exemplified such extraordinary generosity by pledging the royalties from his SCO recordings to the Orchestra in perpetuity. In honour of his legacy, and to celebrate and thank those who include the SCO in their legacy plans, we established The Sir Charles Mackerras Circle.
Members of the Circle enjoy exclusive benefits, including an invitation to an annual behind-the-scenes event, where you can see firsthand how your support is bringing live music to life and making it accessible to a diverse range of audiences.
Together, we can ensure the gift of music resonates for generations to come. To learn more about joining The Sir Charles Mackerras Circle, please contact Mary at mary.clayton@sco.org.uk or call 0131 478 8369.
Principal Conductor’s Circle
Joining the Principal Conductor’s Circle offers an unparalleled opportunity to deepen your connection with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. As a member, you’ll enjoy unique insights into the Orchestra’s daily life and build meaningful relationships with our musicians.
Circle members can choose to support areas that resonate most with them — whether it’s sponsoring a musician’s chair, funding tours and visiting artists, commissioning new music, or contributing to our essential education and community work.
In gratitude for this vital support, members enjoy exclusive benefits, including opportunities to meet SCO musicians and visiting artists, attend private recitals, dinners, and receptions, and experience behind-thescenes access throughout the season.
Principal Conductor’s Circle Membership starts at £5,000 per year.
To learn more, please contact Martin at martin.lawlor@sco.org.uk or call 0131 478 8344
Booking Tickets
Booking SCO Multibuy tickets
Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews
4-8 Concerts - 10% Discount
9-13 Concerts - 15% Discount
14-18 Concerts - 20% Discount
19+ Concerts - 25% Discount
For more information on how to book a Multibuy Package visit sco.org.uk/multibuy.
Booking individual tickets
If you wish to book fewer than four concerts, tickets will be available from the venue box offices from Monday 19 May 2025. Ticket prices and booking fees vary from venue to venue – visit sco.org.uk/FAQ for further details.
Aberdeen Concert Series
The SCO and RSNO jointly present the Aberdeen Concert Series at Aberdeen Music Hall. Book three concerts or more and save up to 30%. Visit aberdeenperformingarts.com or call 01224 641122. Subscriptions are available from Thursday 17 April.
Perth Concert Series
The SCO, BBCSSO and RSNO jointly present the Perth Concert Series at Perth Concert Hall. Book all six concerts and save up to 25%. Visit perththeatreandconcerthall.com or call 07138 621031. Priority booking opens Friday 26 April, 10am. General booking is available from Monday 13 May, 10am.
Venue Box Offices
Aberdeen
Aberdeen Music Hall
aberdeenperformingarts.com 01224 641122
Dumfries
Easterbrook Hall (via Midsteeple Box Office) dgboxoffice.co.uk 01387 253383
Edinburgh
The Queen’s Hall thequeenshall.net 0131 668 2019
Usher Hall
usherhall.co.uk 0131 228 1155
Greyfriars Kirk via sco.org.uk 0131 557 6800
Glasgow City Halls
glasgowlife.org.uk 0141 353 8000
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland rcs.ac.uk 0141 332 5057
Inverness
Eden Court eden-court.co.uk 01463 234234
Perth Concert Hall perththeatreandconcerthall.com 01738 621031
St Andrews
Holy Trinity Church (via Byre Theatre)
byretheatre.com 01334 475000
For other venue box office contact details visit sco.org.uk/FAQ.
Discounts
18 and under*
Anyone under the age of 18 can attend most SCO concerts for free. Under 16s must, however, be accompanied by a paying adult. Free Under 18 tickets are not available for The Great Grumpy Gaboon and Dementiafriendly concerts.
19-26 year olds, full-time students and Universal Credit recipients* £6 for all concerts except The Great Grumpy Gaboon and Dementiafriendly concerts.
People with a disability*
50% off full price tickets for people registered disabled. Essential carer tickets are free of charge.
Group booking discounts
Groups of six or more booking together save 20% off full price tickets. Groups of 20 can also claim one complimentary ticket for the group organiser. Available from Monday 19 May, from the venue box offices. Group discounts are not available for The Great Grumpy Gaboon and Dementia-friendly concerts.
School Group bookings
We have a limited number of free tickets available for certain concerts throughout the season for school groups. Find out more by visiting visit sco.org.uk/schools-go-free. Please contact boxoffice@sco.org.uk to enquire about availability.
Booking fees
A booking fee of £2 is applicable to all Multibuy package bookings made via the SCO.
Glasgow Life Restoration Fund levy
There will be a 75p levy (per ticket) added to bookings for all SCO City Halls ticket purchases that are part of a Multibuy package. For any tickets booked separately from a Multibuy package, a £1.50 (per ticket) levy will be added. The levy is not applicable to any tickets under £7.50.
For more information on Glasgow Life’s Restoration Fund visit glasgowlife.org.uk.
*Proof of eligibility may be required.
Refund Policy
We regret that tickets are non-refundable. All discounts are subject to
availability. Every effort is made to ensure that all information is correct at the time of going to print. The SCO reserves the right to change dates, artists or programmes if necessary.
SCO Donors and current ticket buyers receive regular news by email and post. More information on how we process data can be found within the Privacy Statement on our website, at sco.org.uk/privacy-statement.
Group and school bookings must be confirmed no later than four weeks before the concert date.
2025-26 Season Concerts
EDINBURGH & GLASGOW
From Darkness to Light
Usher Hall, Edinburgh Thu 2 Oct, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 3 Oct, 7.30pm
Gloria!
Usher Hall, EdinburghThu 9 Oct, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 10 Oct, 7.30pm
Haydn’s Drum Roll
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Thu 23 Oct, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 24 Oct, 7.30pm
Yeol Eum Son plays Mozart
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Thu 30 Oct, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 31 Oct, 7.30pm
Steve Reich+
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Thu 6 Nov, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 7 Nov, 7.30pm
Schumann & Mozart Matinee
The Queen’s Hall, EdinburghThu 13 Nov, 2pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 14 Nov, 2pm
Carmina Gadelica
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow Fri 21 Nov, 1pm
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburg Sun 23 Nov, 3pm
L’Enfance du Christ
Usher Hall, Edinburgh Thu 27 Nov, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 28 Nov, 7.30pm
The Nutcracker
Usher Hall, Edinburgh Thu 4 Dec, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 5 Dec, 7.30pm
Gnarly Buttons
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Thu 11 Dec, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow Fri 12 Dec, 7.30pm
2025-26 Season Concerts
EDINBURGH & GLASGOW continued
Mozart Matinee
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Thu 18 Dec, 2pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 19 Dec, 2pm
A Ceremony of Carols
Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh Sun 21 & Mon 22 Dec, 7.30pm
Viennese New Year
Usher Hall, Edinburgh Thu 1 Jan, 3pm
Haydn & Schubert Matinee
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Thu 15 Jan, 2pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 16 Jan, 2pm
Mozart: The Last Three Symphonies
Usher Hall, Edinburgh Thu 29 Jan, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 30 Jan, 7.30pm
The Great Grumpy Gaboon
Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh Sat 7 Feb, 12pm & 2.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Sun 8 Feb, 2pm
Baroque Inspirations
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Thu 19 Feb, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 20 Feb, 7.30pm
Maxim & Friends Chamber Matinee
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Sun 22 Feb, 3pm
Benedetti plays Mendelssohn
Usher Hall, Edinburgh Thu 26 Feb, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 27 Feb, 7.30pm
Borrani & Beethoven
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Thu 5 Mar, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 6 Mar, 7.30pm
Saxophone Dreams
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Thu 12 Mar, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 13 Mar, 7.30pm
2025-26 Season Concerts
EDINBURGH & GLASGOW continued
Beethoven, Pekka & the Dreamers’ Circus
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Thu 19 Mar, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 20 Mar, 7.30pm
The Language of Eden
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Thu 26 Mar, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 27 Mar, 7.30pm
Bohemian Rhapsodies
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Thu 16 Apr, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 17 Apr, 7.30pm
Baroque Threads, Contemporary Colours
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Thu 23 Apr, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 24 Apr, 7.30pm
Mozart Requiem
Usher Hall, Edinburgh Thu 30 Apr, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 1 May, 7.30pm
Schumann Cello Concerto
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh Thu 7 May, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow Fri 8 May, 7.30pm
Dvořák ‘New World’ Symphony
Usher Hall, EdinburghThu 14 May, 7.30pm
City Halls, Glasgow Fri 15 May, 7.30pm
2025-26 Season Concerts
ABERDEEN MUSIC HALL
Yeol Eum Son plays Mozart
Sat 1 Nov, 7.30pm
Viennese New Year
Sat 3 Jan, 3pm
Mozart: The Last Three Symphonies
Sat 31 Jan, 7.30pm
Beethoven, Pekka & the Dreamers’ Circus
Sat 21 Mar, 7.30pm
Schumann Cello Concerto
Sat 9 May, 7.30pm
AYR TOWN HALL
Viennese New Year
Mon 5 Jan, 7.30pm
DUMFRIES, EASTERBROOK HALL
Schumann & Mozart
Sat 15 Nov, 7.30pm
Haydn & Schubert
Sat 17 Jan, 7.30pm
INVERNESS, EDEN COURT
Benedetti plays Mendelssohn
Sat 28 Feb, 7.30pm
2025-26 Season Concerts
PERTH CONCERT HALL
From Darkness to Light
Sat 4 Oct, 7.30pm
The Nutcracker
Wed 3 Dec, 7.30pm
Viennese New Year
Sun 4 Jan, 3pm
The Great Grumpy Gaboon
Fri 6 Feb, 1.15pm (Schools Performance)
Dvořák ‘New World’ Symphony
Wed 13 May, 7.30pm
ST ANDREWS, HOLY TRINITY CHURCH
Haydn’s Drum Roll
Wed 22 Oct, 7.30pm
Carmina Gadelica
Sat 22 Nov, 3pm
Mozart Matinee
Wed 17 Dec, 2pm
Saxophone Dreams
Wed 11 Mar, 7.30pm
Baroque Threads, Contemporary Colours
Wed 22 Apr, 7.30pm
Funding Partners
Core Funder
Scottish Government
Benefactor
Dunard Fund
Local Authority
The City of Edinburgh Council
Broadcast Partner
BBC Radio 3
Media Partner
The Scotsman
Funding Partner
Baillie Gifford
Business Partners
Quilter Cheviot
Institut Français
Honorary Consulate of Finland, Edinburgh and Glasgow
agilico
BMAS
Key Funders
The Gannochy Trust
Binks Trust
Dementia Trust
The RS MacDonald Charitable Trust
Charity Partner
Alzheimer Scotland