Blog

SCO Sub-Principal Cellist Su-a Lee blogs from the recent SCO Strings tour, which visited Crear near Kilberry in Argyll, Whiting Bay in Arran and Arrochar, directed by Dutch violinist Isabelle van Keulen.

One of the main objectives of our Highland and Islands touring is to take the SCO to the parts of Scotland that are not in easy reach of the main cities which are on our regular Winter Season trail. This tour was particularly special, because we were able to go to even smaller halls, as the orchestra split in half: Strings and Winds (the Winds tour is later in July). There is a great deal of appreciation shown by the local communities for this effort and the need for more chairs to be put out at the last minute is quite common. (This happened in our second concert when the organiser came into the dressing room minutes before the concert was due to begin, to extract our precious few clothes horses!)

How to get to each destination is a popular topic of conversation each day...as is where we are going to meet for lunch! In fact meals tend to become a focal point for each day. Lunch can involve a detour if deemed worthy, whereas dinner needs to be close to the venue and may result in a compromise if you don't want fish and chips every day! But not so in Crear, which was our first port of call. Not only were we greeted after our long journey with delicious homemade soups and salads for lunch, but at suppertime Kate (venue manager) had organised a full spread for audience members as well as for the Orchestra. A chance to rub shoulders with the audience, which is quite unlike our average concert preparation!

 
Not your average pre-concert fayre!

A chance to dine al fresco

This was our third visit to Crear, which is a wonderful artists' retreat on the Argyll peninsula near Lochgilphead. They run a concert series over the summer and the hospitality is warm and generous. The main performance space is a delight...bright and airy with beautiful artworks on the walls and amazing open views to Jura (floor to ceiling windows along one whole side for an unadulterated panorama). The acoustic is pretty lively and it made for a roof-raising night! 

Cellists Eric and Donnie attempt to digest and conserve some energy for the concert!

Isabelle van Keulen at the helm with SCO Strings

Playing without a conductor is a challenge, but is highly rewarding. Every single player takes on a little extra responsibility and it really feels like chamber music. Lines of vision are particularly important, which means there's a fair amount of shifting about before everyone is satisfied. The fold-up chairs in Crear are especially creaky and reaching for page turns in quiet moments produced a few giggles! Working with Isabelle in this capacity was a joy. She has only come to the SCO as a soloist in the past, so it was great to work more comprehensively with her. She has a pretty wicked sense of humour too, so both rehearsals and concerts were fun. Being able to work in this manner is another of the delights of scaling down the size of the operation for these Highland trips.

SCO Strings

Being in any venue in the Highlands gives us an intimacy with our audience that is highly valued. Gone are many of the usual barriers between orchestra and audience. In Crear and Arran, the audience was actually close enough to turn our pages... though they declined the offer!

Double-bassist Adrian demonstrates his prowess with a stick, Nikita (Double
bass) and Eric (Cello).

Truly talented stick technique

View from the hall at Crear

Loading dock for the SCO truck (a final glimpse of it before the imminent logo
change)

Violinist Carole Howat has a moment's contemplation after the concert

The stunning view from the Crear venue

Violinist Carole and cellists Su-a and Eric (a mix of keen hillwalkers and novices)
took the opportunity to catch the first ferry to Arran and climb Goatfell, before the
performance in Whiting Bay.

Nothing quite prepares you for the experience of a 'Highlands and Islands Tour'. Even if you go along expecting the unexpected, you will inevitably come across a few surprises! As an example I'd like to recount the story of a Calmac ferry returning to port just after departure, to pick up three SCO cars who had misjudged the time! I can't think of anywhere else that this would happen!

The scenery is breathtaking at every turn, the people are warm, welcoming and appreciative, the concerts are enthusiastic and fun...what more could you wish for? 

Photos © Su-a Lee