The Scottish Ensemble announces a radical new programme of events for season 12-13, designed to reach out beyond its traditional audience base and bring music directly to the people of Scotland; in the streets, galleries, university campuses, nursing homes and even shopping centres.

The Scottish Ensemble will also be embarking on an exciting cross-art form collaboration with visual artist Netia Jones, and commissioning a series of new works, or ‘musical postcards’ from young Glasgow composer Martin Suckling. It’s all part of a season suffused with the spirit of Benjamin Britten: as we lead up to the composer’s centenary year in 2013, Artistic Director Jonathan Morton has put Britten at the centre of a brilliantly inventive programme.

The Scottish Ensemble City Residencies

As part of a new three-year programme, the Ensemble will be taking up four residencies in Dundee, Inverness, Aberdeen and Perth this season. The company has a long history of touring to these cities, but will now turn itself into a musical resource for each community, offering world-class musical experiences in places you might not normally expect to encounter them.

Each residency will last four days, during which time the group will plug themselves into the city, creating musical experiences for people who might not have traditionally come to Ensemble concerts, and opening out their rehearsal room to the public, making classical music accessible.

In Dundee, look out for pop-up performances in shopping centres, a late-night screening of expressionist classic Faust, with a live electronic score created by DJ Alex Smoke, coaching sessions with local amateur and youth orchestras, chamber music performances in nursing homes and free lunchtime concerts at Dundee University.

Families in Inverness will encounter the Scottish Ensemble as part of the Ness Islands Halloween Festival, an exciting, hands-on way for children to encounter music. The company has also organised a tea dance at Inverness’ Bishop’s Palace.

The Aberdeen residency will involve a collaboration with students from Aberdeen University’s Sound Emporium Research Group (SERG) creating new music based on Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony, and string-inspired DJ sets.

In Perth, the company will create a series of daytime musical encounters, engaging audiences from school children to senior citizens.

Benjamin Britten’s Centenary Celebrations

As far as the Ensemble is concerned, there can never be enough Britten. In the lead up to his centenary year, the Scottish Ensemble has allowed the composer’s spirit to take over its season programming. Each concert programme has been created around a major Britten piece, paired with works by Mozart, Bach, and Schumann that Britten loved and admired as a performer and as a composer. Visual artist Netia Jones, who has worked with the South Bank Centre, Opera North, LA Philharmonic making visual works accompanying classic music, has created brand new visuals for Britten’s Illuminations, and during the season there will be the Scottish première of a new arrangement of Britten’s iconic 2nd string quartet, by distinguished British composer David Matthews.

www.scottishensemble.co.uk/

Source: Scottish Ensemble