Music Director: Thomas Søndergård
We celebrated the New Year on tour in China with Music Director Thomas Søndergård and violinist Nicola Benedetti. The tour saw the Orchestra perform six concerts in Nanning, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Linyi, Jinan and at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.
The RSNO’s tour of China was supported by the Scottish Government’s International Touring Fund.
We were very excited to perform the Scottish premiere of Wynton Marsalis' Violin Concerto with Nicola Benedetti. In November 2019, it was announced that the Concerto has been nominated for two Grammys - we wish Wynton and Nicola the best of luck!
We made our second visit to the USA in 35 years, performing six concerts in Tucson, Palm Desert, Aliso Viejo, Northridge, Santa Barbara and UC Davis with Music Director Thomas Søndergård, pianist Olga Kern, violinist Sandy Cameron and narrator Clyde Kusatsu.
The RSNO’s tour of the USA was supported by the Scottish Government’s Touring Fund and the RSNO Foundation.
We welcomed a new Chief Executive to the RSNO family. Alistair Mackie joined us from London's Philharmonia Orchestra, where he served as Interim Managing Director from August 2016 to March 2017, a member of the Orchestra since 1996 and most recently as Joint Principal Trumpet.
We were delighted to perform Beethoven's Symphony No5 with Leader Sharon Roffman as Director. The conductor-less concerts proved popular with our audiences, so much so we are doing it again in 2020! Click here to find out more.
In mid-June 50 young people joined us for RSNO Takeover - a two-day intensive work experience that saw 16-18 year olds work in various departments of the organisation to produce a public concert.
Congratulations to all involved - you put on a great show!
We surprised passengers at Glasgow Airport with a special pop-up performance that included Scottish favourites, Flower of Scotland and the Eightsome Reel.
In August we completed Wagner's epic Ring cycle with conductor Sir Andrew Davis and a host of incredible singers including Christine Goerke as Brünnhilde. It's safe to say the critics loved Götterdämmerung as much as we loved performing it!
***** The Telegraph
***** The Times
***** The Herald
***** The Guardian
***** The Scotsman
Picture: Ryan Buchanan for Edinburgh International Festival.
At the end of September we jetted off to Paris for a two concert tour at the beautiful La Seine Musicale. Conducted by Music Director Thomas Søndergård and featuring guest violinist James Ehnes, the Orchestra performed a programme that included Debussy, Bruch and Mahler.
We opened our 2019:20 Season with Music Director Thomas Søndergård and mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill. The programme included R Strauss' Don Juan, Berg's Seven Early Songs and Mahler's Symphony No1.
"Søndergård created a musical vision to believe in, and marvel at, vastly more than the sum of its parts." The Arts Desk
Concert supported by the RSNO Conductors' Circle.
We were thrilled to perform the World Premiere of Vaughan Williams' The Future alongside the RSNO Chorus. A previously unfinished work, the piece was completed by our conductor for the concerts, Martin Yates.
Concert supported by The Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust.
We welcomed Scottish actor Alan Cumming to the Orchestra for two special performances of John Mauceri's new arrangement of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.
Picture: John Mauceri, Alan Cumming and Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, at rehearsals for the World Premiere.
Concert supported by Investec.