Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Welcome to the SCO. We have been inspiring audiences and connecting with communities since 1974, delivering diverse programmes that are open to all. Embrace the classics, discover exciting new music, and create beautiful musical memories with us!
Coming up
![Colin Currie plays.]()
2025 European Tour September
–
Bucharest
Sibiu
Brussels
...and more!
Join us for the second half of our 2025 European tour where we are joined by Maxim and Colin Currie.![]()
Brno International Music Festival
Brno
Join the SCO, Maxim and Robert Jordan in Brno for a programme of Mozart, Maxwell Davies and Beethoven.![Maxim conducts the Orchestra]()
From Darkness to Light
–
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Perth
Join the SCO players and our electrifying Principal Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev on an unforgettable journey from darkness to light.![Maxim Conducts the Orchestra and the chorus sings]()
Gloria!
–
Choral
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Exhilarating choral splendours from across two centuries, with the magnificent SCO Chorus and an exceptional line-up of vocal soloists.![]()
The Origin of Colour
Digital Season
Online
Discover (or rediscover) this dazzling, delightful music in a thrilling performance by the SCO and Maxim Emelyanychev.![Alina Ibragimova playsd the violin]()
Haydn’s Drum Roll
–
St Andrews
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Violinist Alina Ibragimova leads us from grief and fear to radiant joy in her deeply emotional concert with the SCO.![Yeol Eum Son stands in front of a piano with her arms crossed]()
Yeol Eum Son plays Mozart
–
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Aberdeen
Yeol Eum Son returns with two of the great composer’s most compelling concertos.![Colin Currie smiles as he conducts]()
Steve Reich+
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New Dimensions
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Minimalist masterpieces from maverick composer Steve Reich directed by his close friend and collaborator, Edinburgh-born Colin Currie.![Andrew Marwood holds a violin and looks to his left.]()
Schumann & Mozart
–
2 Matinees
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Dumfries
British violinist Anthony Marwood makes a welcome return for music to captivate you and – perhaps – surprise you.![Abstract painting of a misty sun setting over a Irish beach.]()
Carmina Gadelica
–
Matinee
Glasgow
St Andrews
Edinburgh
The SCO’s renowned Wind Soloists join forces with some of Scotland’s most accomplished young players for a kaleidoscopic concert.
12 Latest videos
25/26 Trailer
1:59
Max Mandel
5:33
Cerys Ambrose-Evans
4:18
Marta Gómez
4:10
Katherine Bryer
2:59
Eric de Wit
4:22
Summer Tour 2025 Trailer
0:42
Supporting the SCO
2:37
Seascape
7:35
Serenade in Seven Colours
10:00
Novelletten
13:58
Principal Guest Conductor
3:09
Latest news
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Symphonies and their nicknames
8 September 2025
Beethoven's Fifth has a nickname? Well, it does according to some people ...![]()
Listen to The Honours of Scotland Concert performed at Balmoral Castle
4 September 2025
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SCO Embarks on European Tour Showcasing Scottish Musical Excellence
2 September 2025
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The percussion concerto
1 September 2025
Our examination of the concerto now turns to percussion. Expect the unexpected!![]()
Mozart and the development of the piano concerto
25 August 2025
How one composer almost single-handedly raised the piano concerto to unprecedented heights![]()
The clarinet concerto
16 June 2025
It's the clarinet's turn to step centre-stage for a look at their concerto repertoire. It's possible Mozart is mentioned!![]()
Opera seria: a beginner's guide
9 June 2025
Ahead of the SCO's performances of two key opera seria in this year's Edinburgh International Festival, we look at the history of the genre.![Three men, dressed formally: one Victorian, with a short grey beard, one young and clean-shaven, in sepia, the last (in a painting) with a long grey beard and glasses]()
The lure of the exotic: northern Africa in classical music
2 June 2025
How does the west's fascination with the wider Arab world come across in music? We look at a few examples ...![]()
Beethoven's 'lesser' symphonies
26 May 2025
Why are some Beethoven symphonies better-known than others?![]()
The bassoon concerto
19 May 2025
For the last article in our concerto series (for now), we turn to an instrument too often dismissed as the orchestra's resident joker.
