The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO) is a Scottish broadcasting

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

based in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation (

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

), it is the oldest full-time professional

radio orchestra A radio orchestra (or broadcast orchestra) is an orchestra employed by a radio network (and sometimes television networks) in order to provide programming as well as sometimes perform incidental or theme music for various shows on the network. In ...

in Scotland. The orchestra is based at City Halls in Glasgow.

History

The BBC opened its Edinburgh studio in 1930, and decided to form its own full-time Scottish orchestra to complement BBC orchestras already established in London, Manchester and Wales. The BBC Scottish Orchestra was established as Scotland's first full-time orchestra on 1 December 1935 by the BBC's first head of music in Scotland, composer and conductor Ian Whyte. In 1938, the orchestra moved into its purpose-built home at Studio One, in the newly opened Glasgow Studios, at Broadcasting House in Queen Margaret Drive. The newly formed Scottish Variety Orchestra (which became the

BBC Scottish Radio Orchestra The BBC Scottish Radio Orchestra (SRO) was a light music broadcasting orchestra based in Glasgow, Scotland, maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation from 1940 until disbandment in 1981. History Established by the BBC in 1940 as the ...

in 1967) occupied Studio Two. As one of the BBC's many ensembles, the orchestra led a busy though sheltered life, broadcasting live at least five times a week from its studio and only occasionally allowed out. Throughout the war, the orchestra fulfilled 30 hours of broadcasts per week on the BBC Home and World Services. This meant live performances at any time of day or night, often broadcasting live to Latin America at half past one in the morning. By the end of the war, during which the orchestra had been expanded in numbers, Whyte had brought it to a standard considered good enough for the newly established

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...

, at which the orchestra has appeared regularly since 1948. Through the 1950s and 1960s, live studio broadcasting still dominated the orchestra's schedule, and there was little time in its schedule for public performances. This situation changed after

Norman Del Mar Norman René Del Mar Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (31 July 19196 February 1994) was an English Conductor (music), conductor, horn player, and biographer. As a conductor, he specialised in the music of late romantic composers; ...

's advent as Principal Conductor in 1960. He led the BBC Scottish Orchestra's first visit to The Proms in 1962, and through his efforts the orchestra was further expanded, which led to a change of its title to the "BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra" the following year. Del Mar's earliest projects included the UK premiere of

Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groun ...

's ''

Gruppen ''Gruppen'' ( German for "Groups") for three orchestras (1955–57) is amongst the best-known compositions of German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, and is Work Number 6 in the composer's catalog of works. ''Gruppen'' is "a landmark in 20th-cen ...

'', performed jointly in Glasgow with the Scottish National Orchestra, and it was his interest in contemporary music that laid the foundation for the BBC SSO's long-standing commitment to new work. The BBC SSO has continued to perform the work of Scottish composers in Scotland and at The Proms, such as the 1990 Premiere of

James MacMillan Sir James Loy MacMillan, TOSD (born 16 July 1959) is a Scottish classical composer and conductor. Early life MacMillan was born at Kilwinning, in North Ayrshire, but lived in the East Ayrshire town of Cumnock until 1977. His father is Jam ...

's ''

The Confession of Isobel Gowdie ''The Confession of Isobel Gowdie'' is a work for large symphony orchestra by the Scottish composer James MacMillan. It is, according to the composer, a Requiem for one Isobel Gowdie, supposedly burnt as a witch in post-Reformation Scotland. D ...

''. The last twenty years has seen the gradual emergence of the BBC SSO as a fully fledged 'public' orchestra, with foreign touring, commercial recordings and concerts all over the world consolidating its position as one of the cornerstones of Scottish musical life. The BBC SSO appears annually in such festivals as the

BBC Proms The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the ...

, the

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially european classical music, classical music) and ...

, the

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (also known by the acronym HCMF, stylised since 2006 as the lowercase hcmf//) is a new music festival held annually in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. Since its foundation in 1978, it has featu ...

and the St Magnus Festival in Orkney. At the beginning of January 2006, the BBC SSO moved from Broadcasting House, Glasgow to the fully refurbished City Halls in Glasgow. From 2003 to 2009, the orchestra's Chief Conductor was

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i-born

Ilan Volkov Ilan Volkov (; born September 8, 1976, Tel Aviv) is an Israeli orchestral conductor, who has been chief conductor and guest conductor of a number of orchestras. Biography Volkov's father, Alexander Volkov, was a concert pianist. He studied with t ...

, the youngest-ever chief conductor of any BBC orchestra. In October 2007, the orchestra announced the appointment of Edinburgh born

Donald Runnicles Sir Donald Cameron Runnicles (born 16 November 1954) is a Scottish conductor, known for his Romantic symphonic and operatic repertoire, especially Richard Wagner, Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss and Anton Bruckner. With a career that has spanned ...

as its Chief Conductor in September 2009. Volkov took the title of principal guest conductor BBC SSO as of the 2009–2010 season, in parallel with the advent of Runnicles as chief conductor. In September 2011, the BBC SSO announced the extension of Runnicles' contract as chief conductor through 2015. In October 2014, the BBC SSO reported the scheduled conclusion of Runnicles' tenure as chief conductor in September 2016, at which time he took the title of conductor emeritus with the orchestra. In 2012, Laura Samuel became leader of the orchestra. In March 2015, the orchestra announced the appointment of Thomas Dausgaard as its 11th chief conductor, effective with the 2016–2017 season. In January 2018, the BBC SSO announced the extension of Dausgaard's contract as chief conductor through the 2021–2022 season. Dausgaard concluded his chief conductorship of the BBC SSO at the close of the 2021–2022 season. In February 2022, the BBC SSO announced the appointment of Ryan Wigglesworth as its next chief conductor, effective September 2022. The

Royal Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...

presented the BBC SSO with its award for Best Orchestra in 2002, and its then-chief conductor Ilan Volkov with the prize for Best Young Artist in 2004. In March 2014, the orchestra made its first trip to India, covering the cities of Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi.

Chief conductors and principal conductors

Guy Warrack Guy Douglas Hamilton Warrack (6 February 1900 – 12 February 1986) was a Scottish composer, music educator and conductor. He was the son of John Warrack of the Leith steamship company, John Warrack & Co., founded by Guy's grandfather, also ca ...

(1935–1946) * Ian Whyte (1946–1960) *

(1960–1965) *

James Loughran James Loughran (30 June 1931 – 19 June 2024) was a Scottish conductor, the first British conductor to be appointed chief of a major German orchestra. Early life Educated at St Aloysius' College in Glasgow, Loughran conducted at school and ...

(1965–1971) *

Christopher Seaman Christopher Seaman (born 7 March 1942, Faversham) is a British conductor. Early life Seaman was born to Albert Edward Seaman and Ethel Margery Seaman. He was educated at Canterbury Cathedral Choir School and The King's School, Canterbury, and ...

(1971–1977) *

Karl Anton Rickenbacher Karl Anton Rickenbacher (20 May 1940 – 28 February 2014) was a Swiss conductor. Born in Basel, Rickenbacher studied at the Berlin Conservatory with Herbert von Karajan. He took part in master classes with Pierre Boulez. He was an assistant ...

(1978–1980) *

Jerzy Maksymiuk Jerzy Jan Maksymiuk (born 9 April 1936) is a Polish composer, pianist and orchestra conductor. Personal life Maksymiuk was born in Grodno, Second Polish Republic (now Belarus). He studied violin, piano, conducting and composition at the Warsaw ...

(1983–1993) *

Osmo Vänskä Osmo Antero Vänskä (born 28 February 1953) is a Finnish conductor, clarinetist, and composer. Biography Vänskä started his musical career as an orchestral clarinetist with the Turku Philharmonic (1971–76). He then became the principal clar ...

(1996–2002) *

(2003–2009) *

(2009–2016) * Thomas Dausgaard (2016–2022) * Ryan Wigglesworth (2022–present)

Chief guest conductors and principal guest conductors

* Sir Charles Groves (1981–1983) * Vernon Handley (1983–1985) * George Hurst (1986–1989) * Takuo Yuasa (1989–1992) * Ilan Volkov (2009–present)

Associate principal conductors

* Martyn Brabbins (1996–2005)

Associate guest conductors

* Stefan Solyom (2006–2009) * Andrew Manze (2010–2014) * John Wilson (2016–present)

Assistant and associate conductors

* Robert Irving (1946–1948) * Harry Platts (1948–1949) * John Hopkins (1949–1951) * Alexander Gibson (1952–1954) * Gerald Gentry (1954–1956) *

Colin Davis Sir Colin Rex Davis (25 September 1927 – 14 April 2013) was an English conductor, known for his association with the London Symphony Orchestra, having first conducted it in 1959. His repertoire was broad, but among the composers with whom ...

(1957–1959) *

Bryden Thomson Bryden Thomson (16 July 1928 – 14 November 1991) was a Scottish conductor remembered especially for his championship of British and Scandinavian composers. His recordings include influential surveys of the orchestral music of Hamilton Harty a ...

(1959–1960) * James Lockhart (1960–1962) * Bernard Keeffe (1962–1964) * Graham Treacher (1964–1967) * Christopher Seaman (1968–1970) * Andrew Davis (1970–1972) * Christopher Adey (1973–1976) *

Simon Rattle Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British conductor with German citizenship. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rat ...

(1977–1980) * Nicholas Kraemer (1983–1985) * Christopher Bell (1989–1991) * Martyn Brabbins (1992–1996)

Affiliated composers

Tan Dun Tan Dun (, ; born 18 August 1957) is a Chinese-born American composer and conductor. A leading figure of contemporary classical music, he draws from a variety of Western and Chinese influences, a pairing which has shaped much of his life and mu ...

(Associate Composer/Conductor, 1994–1998) * Stuart MacRae (Composer in Association, 1999–2003) *

Anna Meredith Anna Howard Meredith (born 12 January 1978) is a Scottish composer and performer of electronic and acoustic music. She is a former composer-in-residence with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and former PRS/RPS Composer in the House with S ...

(Composer in Residence, 2004–2006) * Jonathan Harvey (Composer-in-Association, 2005–2007) *

Matthias Pintscher Matthias Pintscher (born 29 January 1971) is a German composer, conductor and academic teacher. Biography Pintscher was born in Marl, North Rhine-Westphalia. As a youth, he studied the violin and conducting. He began his music studies with Gise ...

(Artist-in-Association, 2010–2018)

Recordings

As well as its regular live broadcasts and recordings for the BBC, and recordings for BBC Music Magazine, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra has recorded 98 commercial CDs for labels including BIS, NMC and Hyperion, with whom it has a long association. The orchestra has gathered 4 Gramophone Awards and a Grammy nomination for its commercial recordings. * Jonathan Harvey: ''Body Mandala'' – Anu Komsi (soprano), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ilan Volkov (conductor). Label: NMC *''English Orchestral Songs'' –

Christopher Maltman Christopher Maltman (born 6 February 1970) is a British operatic baritone who has appeared internationally. He has sung many leading roles first at the Royal Opera House, the title role of Enescu's '' Œdipe'' at the Salzburg Festival, and Jochan ...

(baritone), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins (conductor), Adrian Adlam (

leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

). Label: Hyperion.

Notes and references

External links

* {{Authority control 1935 establishments in Scotland

Scottish Symphony Orchestra The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO) is a Scottish broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), it is the oldest full-time professional radi ...

BBC Scotland British symphony orchestras Musical groups from Edinburgh Orchestras in Glasgow Musical groups established in 1935 Decca Records artists RCA Records artists Sony Classical Records artists