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Young audiences crescendo as the 成人论坛 Scottish Symphony Orchestra launches its new concert seasons across Scotland

The 成人论坛 Scottish Symphony Orchestra has announced its concerts across Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh from September 2024 to May 2025, with performances available on 成人论坛 Radio 3, 成人论坛 Radio Scotland, 成人论坛 Sounds and 成人论坛 iPlayer.

The announcement comes during its current season when young audiences have hit new heights, with Under 26s and Students making up 1 in 4 audience members across the Thursday Night Series, reaching up to 34% of ticket sales.

2024/25 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

• The introduction of three Sunday concerts in Glasgow’s Afternoon Performance series, showcasing remarkable 成人论坛 Radio 3 New Generation Artists.
• In his third season as Chief Conductor, Ryan Wigglesworth continues a survey of Elgar’s major works with The Dream of Gerontius and takes to the keyboard as soloist/director.
• Indian musical royalty perform in Aberdeen and Glasgow as tabla superstar Zakir Hussain performs his Triple Concerto.
• The orchestra champions music of the 21st century, including world premieres by Helen Grime and Ricardo Ferro, plus works by Donghoon Shin, Errollyn Wallen, Gabriela Montero and the orchestra’s Composer-in-Association Hans Abrahamsen.
• Ilan Volkov conducts two percussion concertos with Scottish virtuoso Colin Currie, including a UK premiere by Olga Neuwirth.
• Choral collaborations with the Huddersfield Choral Society, Edinburgh University Chamber Choir, Glasgow Chamber Choir and the University of Glasgow Chapel Choir.
• A celebration of music from the Nordic region as part of Nordic Music Days 2024.
• Live broadcasts on 成人论坛 Radio 3 and 成人论坛 Sounds, with select performances also available on 成人论坛 Radio Scotland and 成人论坛 iPlayer.

THIRD SEASON WITH CHIEF CONDUCTOR RYAN WIGGLESWORTH

In September 2024, Ryan Wigglesworth begins his third season as Chief Conductor with a folk-inspired world premiere and 成人论坛 commission by Scottish composer Helen Grime, featuring soprano Claire Booth. Wigglesworth continues his survey of Elgar’s major works with The Dream of Gerontius (featuring Huddersfield Choral Society and all-star line-up of soloists) at the magnificent settings of Paisley Abbey and Usher Hall. He also takes to the keyboard as soloist and director for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.17.

Chief Conductor Ryan Wigglesworth says: “We welcome a stellar line-up of soloists, including my longtime collaborator, Mark Padmore, to perform what is perhaps the greatest of Britten’s orchestral song cycles, his Nocturne. Our commitment to music of the 21st century continues with concertos by Donghoon Shin and our Composer-in-Association Hans Abrahamsen. Tribute is also paid to the late Sir Harrison Birtwistle (in what would have been his 90th birthday year) with a performance of the haunting ‘Night’s Black Bird’. We feature much-loved symphonies by Beethoven, Schumann, Berlioz, Sibelius and Vaughan Williams, and resume our survey of Elgar’s major works with ‘The Dream of Gerontius’. It’s a season that once again showcases the incredible versatility of the 成人论坛 SSO.”

NEW SUNDAY SERIES – CELEBRATING RADIO 3 NEW GENERATION ARTISTS

The Thursday Afternoon Performance series in Glasgow sees the introduction of three Sunday concerts that showcase 成人论坛 Radio 3 New Generation Artists and include popular masterworks by Berlioz, Rachmaninov and Mahler. Soloists include pianist Giorgi Gigashvili (Beethoven Piano Concerto No.2), soprano Johanna Wallroth (Strauss songs) and Alim Beisembayev (Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1). In one of three Thursday afternoons, the 成人论坛 SSO’s own Principal Double Bass Gyunam Kim will perform as soloist in Eduard Tubin’s Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra, conducted by Anu Tali.

FAMILIAR AND FRESH FACES PASS THE BATON

The 成人论坛 SSO’s Creative Partner Ilan Volkov conducts two concertos featuring “the world’s finest and most daring percussionist” (The Spectator) Colin Currie, including a UK premiere by Austrian composer Olga Neuwirth (Glasgow) and a concerto by American composer Andy Akiho (Aberdeen). Tectonics Festival of new and experimental music will also return to Glasgow City Halls and Old Fruitmarket in May 2025.

The orchestra’s former Artist-in-Association Matthias Pintscher returns to conduct Rachmaninov’s less frequently performed Piano Concerto No.4 with Denis Kozhukhin. Pintscher will also conduct his own work Neharot and a world premiere by his student Ricardo Ferro. Celebrated guest conductors Sir Mark Elder and Antony Hermus present bespoke suites from two fairy tale ballet scores: Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ and Prokofiev’s ‘Cinderella’, respectively. The “highly impressive” (The Scotsman) conductor Gemma New makes a welcome return, touring to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow with violinist Rosanne Philippens.

Alpesh Chauhan is joined by Indian musical royalty in Aberdeen and Glasgow for Zakir Hussain’s Triple Concerto for tabla (Zakir Hussain), sitar (Niladri Kumar), bansuri (Rakesh Chaurasia) and orchestra. This intoxicating combination of eastern and western musical traditions lights the touch paper for an exhilarating concert that also features Rachmaninov’s Isle of the Dead and Stravinsky’s The Firebird.

Following an “electric debut” (New York Times) with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Elim Chan launches the orchestra’s Edinburgh Series in October 2024 with music by Caroline Shaw and Brahms. Plus, Venezuelan virtuoso Gabriella Montero performs as soloist in her own exuberant ‘Latin’ Piano Concerto.

German conductor Anja Bihlmaier makes her 成人论坛 SSO debut in April 2025, celebrating music of the pioneering 19th century French composer Mélanie Bonis and Richard Strauss. In this concert, Spanish pianist Javier Perianes plays Mozart.

CHORAL COLLABORATIONS & NORDIC MUSIC DAYS 2024

Martyn Brabbins returns for a life-affirming celebration of music made in Scotland, with works by Errollyn Wallen, Peter Maxwell Davies and the European premiere of Piano Concerto No.3 by the late Lyell Cresswell (soloist, Danny Driver). Edinburgh University Chamber Choir and Glasgow Chamber Choir perform modern sacred masterpieces by MacMillan and Cresswell, with conductors Michael Bawtree and Martyn Brabbins.

Winner of the Finnish critics’ prize 2021 for the Best Newcomer in the Arts, Emilia Hoving conducts at the 2024 Nordic Music Days festival, hosted in Scotland for the first time since its inaugural festival in 1888. An Extraordinary Voyage celebrates contemporary music from the Nordic region, including music by Britta Byström, Eli Tausen á Lava and Maja Ratkje. The University of Glasgow Chapel Choir feature in Hildur Guðnadóttir’s The Fact of the Matter.

MACMILLAN PRESENTS A NEW GENERATION OF SCOTTISH TALENT

In February 2025, Sir James MacMillan conducts the first Scottish performance of his new Concerto for Orchestra ‘Ghosts’, and presents a substantial spread of new music from six of his younger colleagues at the Cumnock Tryst festival - Matthew Grouse, Gillian Walker, Electra Perivolaris, Scott Lygate, Jay Capperauld and Michael Murray.

CHRISTMAS CONCERTS ACROSS SCOTLAND

The 成人论坛 SSO’s festive feast of movie music, Christmas at The Movies, is back by popular demand on the weekend before Christmas, returning to Edinburgh’s Usher Hall for its second year on Saturday (21 Dec) and in Glasgow on Sunday (22 Dec), featuring movie maestro Ben Palmer and singer Jamie MacDougall. This dynamic duo will also present Christmas Classics in Aberdeen.

Dominic Parker, 成人论坛 SSO Director, says: “We’re pleased to release details of our 2024/25 Seasons in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, our third season with Chief Conductor Ryan Wigglesworth. Full of familiar audience favourites and bold new works by the most original voices of our time, our concerts across Scotland will be broadcast on 成人论坛 Radio 3 with many also available on 成人论坛 iPlayer. I hope that new and loyal audiences will enjoy some of the most thrilling, challenging and hopeful music that the orchestral world has to offer.”

The majority of concerts will be recorded for 成人论坛 Radio 3 with many broadcast live, and some filmed to watch for free on 成人论坛 iPlayer across the season.

DIGITAL SEASON BROCHURES

Glasgow 2024/25 Brochure is available
Aberdeen 2024/25 Brochure is available
Edinburgh 2024/25 Brochure is available

BOOKING INFORMATION

Booking for Aberdeen and Edinburgh opens on Thursday 18 April 2024
Booking for Subscription Packages for the Glasgow Thursday Night Series opens on Monday 22 April
Current Glasgow subscribers can book from Wednesday 17 April 2024.
General booking for Glasgow, including for Afternoon Performances, opens Thursday 9 May