The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is one of the great success stories of British music.
Regarded as one of the UK's finest orchestras and one of Britain's most versatile ensembles, the BBC SSO has a huge repertoire ranging from the most complex modern scores to the great classics, from music by Scottish composers to film scores and music for Television.
Founded in 1935 by Scottish composer and conductor Ian Whyte, its concert performances and recordings are broadcast exclusively on BBC Radio and Television, and its innovative programmes and acclaimed recordings have made it the recipient of numerous awards, including two Gramophone Awards and a Grammy nomination.
The acclaim it enjoys founded on brilliance, versatility and bold programming; It is an orchestra that thinks nothing of performing a complex, contemporary 'sinfonietta'-sized piece for a specialist ensemble of solo players alongside a major symphonic work.
The BBC SSO is especially active in commissioning and promoting new music, having worked with many leading composers over the years from Britten and Shostakovich to Kurtág and Tan Dun, and it is especially proud of its support for Scottish composers.
It takes live music to towns and cities across Scotland every season, performs in the great cultural centres of Europe, and in recent years has toured in China, the USA and South America. The BBC SSO appears annually in Britain's most prestigious events including the BBC Proms and Edinburgh International Festival, and is in demand at leading festivals including Cheltenham, Huddersfield and the St. Magnus festival in Orkney.
The orchestra is also increasingly involved in the community, with an innovative and far reaching learning programme, dedicated to bringing the inspiration of great music to people of all ages and backgrounds, from infants to postgraduate composers.
At the beginning of January 2006 the BBC SSO moved from Broadcasting House, Glasgow - its base for nearly 70 years - to the fully refurbished City Halls at Candleriggs, which is now the orchestra's permanent home, administrative, performance and recording base. Famed for its fine acoustic, City Halls is being developed as a major centre for music performance and education.
The British Royal Philharmonic Society presented the BBC SSO with its award for Best Orchestra in 2002, and its Chief Conductor, Ilan Volkov with the prize for Best Young Artist in 2004.
EVENTS in 2007
with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
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