AN UPDATE ON THE 20/21 CONCERT SEASON

Live performance is the very lifeblood of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, we have been living in hope that we would be able to welcome you to the start of our new Season in September.

Whilst we are absolutely determined to return to the concert stage just as soon as possible, it has become increasingly clear that we are not going to be able to present our full 2020/2021 Season as planned.

Despite the current challenges, there is much that we are planning to present. We are delighted to tell you that we will be undertaking our first ever series of streamed orchestral concerts from September, which will be free for you to enjoy.

We are excited that these will begin in fine style on Thursday 24 September at 7.30pm with The Quilter Cheviot Benedetti Concert, conducted by Maxim Emelanychev.

With Nicola Benedetti performing Bruch’s much-loved Violin Concerto No 1, we can think of no better way to open our online Season than with this pairing of two wonderful artists; our SCO musicians are looking forward to the performance immensely and we very much hope you can join us.

For more information about this performance please click HERE

We have also plans to host a series of live chamber concerts, which have been specially curated by our musicians, throughout the autumn. Full details of where and when you can enjoy these performances – Government restrictions permitting - will be announced shortly.

We are grateful to those who subscribed to our 2020/21 Season and enormously disappointed we cannot fulfil our original plans, but we look forward to welcoming you to concerts just as soon as we can.

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Anticipating any questions you may have about what happens next, we have tried to provide some answers below. If you have any further questions you can contact us directly, please email subscriptions@sco.org.uk or call 0131 478 8338.

I am a 2020/21 Subscriber, will I be refunded?

We are, of course, offering a full refund for your entire ticket subscription, including tickets purchased for additional concerts and booking fees which you may have incurred.

What will I be refunded?

You will receive a full refund which includes your booking fee. This amount also includes any tickets purchased for additional concerts outwith the subscription series including the Christmas Chorus Concert, Chamber Music in the Afternoon series, New Year Gala and the Stan and Mabel family concerts.

How will I receive my refund?

• If you chose to pay by Direct Debit, we have not collected any payment for the 20/21 Concert Season and all forthcoming payments have been cancelled.
• Subscriptions booked through the Website will be refunded automatically, unless the card used to make the payment has expired since booking. In the instance that your card has expired, we will need to ask you for your new details and will be in touch to arrange this.
• If you paid by phone or postal subscription form with a credit or debit card, we do not retain your payment details after processing your booking. For this reason, we will be required to take your details again in order to issue the refund. Please call 0131 478 8338 and our Subscription team members, Elsa and Sophie, will arrange your refund over the phone. They will be available to help on Mondays to Thursdays, from 10am until 2pm. It is likely that we will be receiving a high number of calls, so please bear with us. If you cannot get through, please leave a voicemail with your name and number, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
• If you paid by cheque, we will send you a refund by cheque in the post. However please be aware that cheques will take longer to process as the SCO administration team are having to work remotely at present.

When can I expect to receive my refund?

We will begin issuing refunds on the week commencing the 7th September and you can expect to receive your refund within 4 weeks of this date.

Will my subscription preferences be saved for future concert seasons?

Yes, we will retain the details of your preferred seating, as well as any additional booking preferences we have noted from your past bookings.

Can I donate my subscription cost to the SCO instead of receiving a refund?

Should you be able to donate all or some of this lost income to us during an incredibly difficult time, we would be hugely grateful. If you are in a position to help, you can do this by clicking the designated button on the email that has been sent to you. Alernatively, you can be in touch with our subscription team on the 0131 478 8338 or by email subscriptions@sco.org.uk Thank you.

Can Gift Aid be applied to my donation?

Should we have a valid Gift Aid declaration on file for you, we will be able to include the amount which would have been due to you as a refund in our annual gift aid claim, which would of course be very valuable to us. If you have any question regarding Gift Aid or donations to the SCO, please contact Laura Hickey on 0131 478 8344.

Are the 20/21 Concert Seasons performances all cancelled?

We remain hopeful that we can return to stage in the not too distant future, however we do not know what form these concerts will take which is why we have made the decision to refund 2020/21 subscriptions.

How can I watch the online concerts?

The concerts can be viewed on the SCO YouTube channelor Facebook page. We will also be in contact with you via email in advance of our first concert with more information on what you can expect. If you don't currently receive our weekly emails and would like to keep up to date on our activities, you can sign-up to our E-Newsletter by clicking hereand subscribe to our Facebook page.