Scottish Ensemble
Versatile, enterprising and ambitious, the Scottish Ensemble is a tight-knit band of outstanding string players from Scotland and across Europe who perform regularly together under Artistic Director, Jonathan Morton.
Drawing on the rich repertoire of music for strings this adventurous group enjoys an enviable reputation for innovative commissioning and programming. New works regularly contrast and complement much loved classics and the Ensemble is consistently praised for its interpretations of music from all periods. Commissions from John Tavener, James MacMillan, Sally Beamish, David Horne, John Woolrich, Craig Armstrong, Steve Martland and Thea Musgrave have enriched their concerts in recent years while guest artist collaborations with Alison Balsom, Toby Spence, Peter Wispelwey and Anthony Marwood have been enthusiastically received.
Equally confident when performing in other musical genres, the group has also triumphed in successful projects with folk and electronic music specialists. Leading Shetland fiddler Aly Bain, and folk musician Dougie MacLean have both performed with the Ensemble as well as maverick musicians such as American bassist Edgar Meyer and Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto. More recently, during an outreach project at a Young Offender’s Institution in Polmont, musicians from the Ensemble worked with DJ Alex Smoke to teach boys from 16-21 about sound recording and engineering.
Work of this nature grows from the Ensemble’s commitment to education, outreach and community work in Scotland. Ranging from large scale creative projects for children – many of them experiencing live performances of this kind for the first time – to instrumental coaching and masterclasses, to professional development seminars for workplaces, this branch of the organisation is constantly evolving and expanding.
Although based in Glasgow, the majority of the Scottish Ensemble’s projects – some 50 concerts a year – tour throughout Scotland, appearing in many major towns and cities, as well as further flung areas including the Islands and northernmost Highlands of Scotland. Small scale chamber music concerts showcasing the talents of its many excellent individual players enhance the main touring season, as well as regular performances at London’s Wigmore Hall, the BBC Proms and the Edinburgh International Festival. Internationally, the group has toured to China (Shanghai Spring International Festival), Germany and France.
Many music lovers further afield know the ensemble best through its recordings, which include its award-winning CD of Tavener, as well as the critically acclaimed CD of Britten with tenor, Toby Spence (both on the Linn Records label). More recent recordings include a live recording of the Eight Seasons, featuring Jonathan Morton as soloist, and the sparkling Italian Concertos disc with Alison Balsom – EMI Classics’ biggest-selling recording of 2010.
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