What happens when a national orchestra commits to one community for long enough to build trust, listen, adapt and work alongside local people?

In Craigmillar, a South-East Edinburgh community with a proud history of creativity, activism and local leadership, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s five-year Residency created the conditions for music and creativity to become part of everyday community life.

From 2021 to 2026, SCO musicians worked alongside schools, community organisations, local artists and residents across Greater Craigmillar. The Residency reached into classrooms, community spaces, care settings and local events, creating sustained opportunities for children, young people, adults and older people to experience and make music.

Across five years, the Residency delivered 960 events, involving 1,550 unique participants and 16 community partners. It included a dedicated schools programme, delivered in five nursery and primary schools and Castlebrae Community Campus, the local high school. It also featured Craigmillar Voices, Seen and Heard and ReConnect which connected the Orchestra to a range of local adult residents. Local concerts and performances were regularly delivered across the community as well as ongoing opportunities for local people and artists to create and perform music alongside the SCO’s professional musicians.