Scottish Chamber Orchestra Launches Community Residency in Edinburgh

The orchestra also celebrates the return to live music-making with performances in September 2021

Alongside the return to live concerts, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) will also launch the substantial, five-year community music initiative based in the Craigmillar area of Edinburgh.

The residency is designed to bring people together through music to enhance health and well-being, as well as give people a greater sense of community.

Taking place between August 2021 and August 2026, members of the SCO will give workshops aimed at children, young people, and their families. The orchestra also has several larger-scale community events, which will involve the whole community, planned for 2024 and 2026.

Highlights of the upcoming performance season include a performance of Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 1 by Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti, while Russian violinist Dmitry Sinkovsky will present a program of Baroque concerti by Leclair, Locatelli, and Vivaldi, plus works by Poulenc and Farkas.

“After such a difficult and uncertain time for everyone, we’re excited to get back to performing live in venues across the country," said Gavin Reid, the SCO's Chief Executive. "We’re proud of the work we’ve been able to share digitally during the pandemic — and we’ll be continuing that work in the coming season — but of course, live music-making remains at the very core of what we do, and we can’t wait to experience the thrill of live performance with audiences again."

"We have also seen how the events of the past year have re-energized the desire for shared, creative experiences and I’m delighted that today we launch our ambitious five-year residency in Craigmillar which will see us working with a host of local partners, artists and residents to deliver a wide-ranging community program that has collaboration and co-creation at its heart."

Find out more about the SCO's Craigmillar residency by watching the video below.