Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Welcome to the SCO. We have been inspiring audiences and connecting with communities since 1974, delivering diverse programmes that are open to all. Embrace the classics, discover exciting new music, and create beautiful musical memories with us!
Coming up
Bruckner's Skull
Digital Season
Online
Premiered last Season to enormous acclaim, this audacious creation dares to stare death directly in the face.
VIBE in the Borders workshops
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Workshop
Galashiels
Explore creative art and music-making in these free cross-arts workshops for ages 11-18.
Baroque Inspirations
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Edinburgh
Glasgow
Maxim Emelyanychev returns with an annual highlight of the SCO Season, rediscovering the musical splendours of the Baroque.
Maxim & Friends
Matinee
Edinburgh
Experience the exceptional artistry of SCO Principal Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev as he showcases his passion for chamber music.
Benedetti plays Mendelssohn
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Edinburgh
Glasgow
Mendelssohn’s exhilarating Violin Concerto is the ideal showcase for the world-renowned Scottish violin virtuoso’s consummate talents.
Benedetti plays Mendelssohn (Inverness)
Inverness
Mendelssohn’s exhilarating Violin Concerto is the ideal showcase for the world-renowned Scottish violin virtuoso’s consummate talents.
Borrani & Beethoven
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Edinburgh
Glasgow
Lorenza Borrani returns for a second concert of the Season with an evening of wit, humour and magical evocations.
Saxophone Dreams with Jess Gillam
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New Dimensions
Edinburgh
Glasgow
St Andrews
Jess Gillam brings her invigorating musical personality to a colourful and adventurous concert.
Beethoven, Pekka & Dreamers’ Circus
–
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Aberdeen
Classical and folk join forces for a celebration of dance, in this joyfully unconventional programme masterminded by Pekka Kuusisto.
Big Ears, Little Ears
St Andrews
These interactive performances are playful, multi-sensory introductions to live orchestral music.
8 Latest videos
Silent Night
5:54
Whisky Mouth
5:49
The Origin of Colour
14:50
Max Mandel
5:33
Cerys Ambrose-Evans
4:18
Marta Gómez
4:10
Katherine Bryer
2:59
Eric de Wit
4:22
Latest news
The great Beethoven symphonies
9 February 2026
In which we bite the bullet and look at four unmissable works
Wrongfully marginalised: a history of women composers
2 February 2026
To celebrate International Women's Day, we look at the changing fortunes of women composers over the centuries.
Concert and insertion arias: a primer
26 January 2026
In which we look at the practice of exchanging one aria for another in operas - and not always for the best of reasons ...
A tribute to Caroline Garden
21 January 2026
We are sorry to announce the passing of Caroline Garden, a founding member of the Orchestra.
Joseph Joachim and the great German violin concertos
19 January 2026
Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Bruch and Brahms: four violin concertos, all connected by a single violinist.
The search for Beethoven's successor
19 January 2026
Beethoven died in 1827. Who would be worthy to take on his mantle?
Musical quotations
19 January 2026
Follow the thread as one composer quotes another ...
Composers' miracle years
12 January 2026
In which we look at times when a composer barely paused for breath between one work and the next
Quickfire Questions with Hatty Haynes
9 January 2026
Get to know the newest SCO Second Violin!
Making a splash: water music beyond Handel
5 January 2026
We take a look at musical depictions of water, from trickling burns to the wide expanse of the ocean, to see what lurks below the surface.
