It's been a while since we’ve seen you and performed for you – I sincerely wish that life becomes and stays brighter and happier for us all very soon. So many people from all different parts of society are saying how music is seen as so important in bringing stability, positivity, normality and humanity into their lives.

We are all thinking of everyone out there in the SCO community and cannot wait till we are back performing for you in villages, towns and cities across Scotland. On behalf of the SCO, I would like to thank all of you who have kindly donated your ticket refunds and other gifts to the organisation, my own Chair Sponsors, Sir Ewan and Lady Brown, as well as all our Patrons, Sponsors and Funders for continuing to help us through this challenging time. Your forethought for what may lie ahead is greatly appreciated.

I would like to tell you about an exciting project that I’ve spent quite a bit of my last two weeks involved in. As some of you know, I am also Director of Music at Heriot-Watt University, but am having to work from home like most other folk. I was thinking, we would all like to get our lives back, and it occurred to me that my ‘singing scholars’ choir who sing at the HW graduations have sung the 1970’s hit: ‘I want you back’, by the Jackson 5 a few times. Let’s make a remote video of them singing this! The students were fully up for this, and recorded their part remotely on their iPhones in their houses and bedrooms from all around Scotland, England, Spain and Germany. My nephew, Simon King, an amazing musician, did all the mixing of the recordings, and I would like to share it with you now.

It was enormous fun, inspirational and hard work, but so worth it when we finally got there. And yes, I really did do a take conducting in the sea! Anne, my wife, was rather hoping that I might fall in…

I hope this puts a smile on your face and gives us hope for the future.

Take care, stay well, and we hope to be back with you very soon,

Very best wishes,

Steve

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