Scottish Ensemble Announces Upcoming Season

Scottish Ensemble has announced its 2022/2023 season which explores attention as our most valuable resource.

In a world which constantly and determinedly solicits our attention, often by numerous sources at once, the season explores the power of live music to cut through the noise.

The feel-good factor is also at the centre of this exciting new season which explores atmospheres and music that combine reflection, intimacy and joy to maximise the glorious power of live performance.

The programme opens this week with in Sync (10-11 September 2022), a brand-new dramatised show for young people aged 11-14 in collaboration with MishMash Productions.

This new production, which alongside music includes movement and storytelling, celebrates how these twelve musicians fuse together to become a dynamic ensemble, inviting audiences to meet the individual personalities of each musician.

The diverse programme features everything from classical to world music, varying from Jessie Montgomery's vibrant, rhythmic Strum to Shostakovich's distinctive Chamber Symphony. Other highlights include Purcell's The Fairy Queen, Caroline Shaw's The Orangery from Plan & Elevation and Jonny Greenwood's Proven Land. In Sync also tours extensively to schools in Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow.

Breathe (25-28 October 2022) encourages the audience to take a moment to reflect, listen, and explore the effects of music on mind and body. Curated by violinist Andrew Berridge, Breathe is a journey of self-discovery that brings performers and audience together to discover how they feel during a live concert. The focused, intimate and mindful listening experience features music by Nico Muhly, Beethoven and Donald Grant.

Concerts by Candlelight (1-8 December 2022) includes a series of cozy evening concerts set in some of Scotland's most beautiful and atmospheric venues illuminated by warm, flickering candlelight. From J. S. Bach, to Caroline Shaw, and Peteris Vasks, these concerts are bound to relax and comfort with their rich restorative music.

Goldberg Variations - ternary patterns for insomnia (3-8 March 2023) returns after surprising audiences around the world. A collaboration with Sweden's Andersson Dance, Goldberg Variations combines music and movement to bring a fresh visual dimension to this revered piece of music by J. S. Bach.

A night of deep listening and aural exploration with one of Scotland's most distinct musical voices, Nature's Songwriter (15-16 May 2023) is Scottish Ensemble's first collaboration with Erland Cooper, curated by Artistic Director Jonathan Morton. Throughout Cooper's career his music has been described as both calm and euphoric, often inspired by themes of nature, landscape, place and time.

This first collaboration between Scottish Ensemble and the composer, centres around the world-premiere performance of a brand-new piece he has developed in a series of workshops together. This new work will be framed by a set from Erland's back catalogue, for which he will be joined by a small group of Scottish Ensemble musicians, and a set from Scottish Ensemble itself - featuring an exploration of music that inhabits similar soundworlds to Erland's own, including minimalism and more, curated by Jonathan Morton.

The season closes with Concerts for a Summer's Night (19-23 June 2023), a musical celebration of the summer solstice that invites audiences to relax and enjoy the long Scottish summer evenings with a cold drink and a unique array of music from the well-loved to the less expected. The debut performances of this last year sold out in many venues, the perfect counterpart to Concerts by Candlelight.

Scottish Ensemble continues its long collaboration with the charity Maggie's, which supports people dealing with cancer. Together they have developed sessions that use music as well as meditation and mindfulness to explore different ways for people to manage pain and feel 'in the moment'. In 2022/23 Scottish Ensemble plans to work in all 8 Maggie's centres across Scotland.

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