Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Kicks Off Ayr 800 celebrations
AYR 800, the year-long festival of events to celebrate the
800th anniversary in 2005 of the granting of Royal Burgh status
to the town of Ayr by King William the Lion of Scotland, kicks
off on Friday 7 January.
The event is a Viennese Concert performed by the Scottish
Chamber Orchestra, director Alexander Janiczek. The concert
features a selection of waltzes and polkas by Strauss, as
well as music by Saint-Saëns, Massenet and Berlioz. The
concert takes place at 7.30pm on Friday 7 January in Ayr Town
Hall.
Brian Martin of Ayr Guildry, the organisation of local business
people which is organising Ayr 800, said: “Details of
this and other events taking place throughout 2005 can be
found on the Ayr 800 website at www.ayr800.co.uk
“All businesses, clubs, societies and individuals who
would like to take part in this great celebration of our town’s
history will be most welcome, and should get in touch with
us as soon as possible.”
About The Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Formed in 1974 with a commitment to serve the Scottish community,
the Scottish Chamber Orchestra is one of Scotland’s
foremost cultural ambassadors, touring regularly in the Far
East, Europe and the USA. The Orchestra is internationally
recognised for its innovative approach to music-making and
programme planning. Its winter season includes concerts in
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, St Andrews, Perth, Greenock,
Dumfries, Ayr and Inverness.
It also undertakes an annual Highlands Tour and has played
in over a hundred small communities across the Scottish Highlands
and Islands. It appears regularly at the Edinburgh International
Festival, the BBC Proms and the St Magnus (Orkney) and Aldeburgh
Festivals. Its busy international touring schedule has recently
included the USA, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, The
Netherlands, Sweden and Hong Kong.
The Orchestra enjoys close relationships with many leading
composers and has commissioned more than eighty new works,
including pieces by Composer Laureate Sir Peter Maxwell Davies,
Affiliate Composer James MacMillan, Lyell Cresswell, Haflidi
Hallgrímsson and Einojuhani Rautavaara. The SCO recently
collaborated with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra in a four-year
programme of joint commissions from Composers-in-Residence
Sally Beamish and Karin Rehnqvist.
Principal Conductor Joseph Swensen's dynamic relationship
with the Orchestra is now entering its ninth year. From September
2005 Joseph Swensen will become Conductor Emeritus of the
SCO. The Orchestra’s first recordings with Swensen,
which were released in 1999, were works by James MacMillan
(BIS) and the Bruch and Mendelssohn Violin Concertos (Telarc).
Their latest releases together are three discs made in partnership
with Linn Records, which feature music by Mendelssohn, Sibelius
and Brahms.
The SCO has led the way in music education, with a unique
programme of projects. SCO Education provides workshops for
children and adults across Scotland and has also attracted
interest and invitations from overseas. Together with The
City of Edinburgh Council, the SCO has appointed a Composer
Laureate for Schools, Rory Boyle, who is currently involved
in a three-year project creating three new pieces for school
pupils to perform alongside members of the Orchestra. This
and other projects encourage the participation and creativity
of individuals, no matter how skilled, and endeavour to build
relationships within the communities served by the Orchestra's
concert seasons and tours.
The Orchestra broadcasts regularly and has a discography
now exceeding 140 recordings. SCO recordings are available
from the SCO’s online shop: theshop.sco.org.uk
Enquiries:
Brian Martin, Dean of Ayr Guildry.
Telephone: +44 (0)1292 442103.
John Hay, Clerk to Ayr Guildry.
Telephone: +44 (0)1292 264091.
Website: www.ayr800.co.uk
Issued on behalf of Ayr Guildry by Fame Publicity Services.
Media enquiries:
Murdoch MacDonald
Fame Publicity Services
10 Miller Road
AYR, Ayrshire
Scotland KA7 2AY
Telephone: +44 (0)1292 281498
E-mail: famepublicity@aol.com
Web: www.famepublicity.co.uk
Web links:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/12/prweb192654.php
http://www.pressbox.co.uk/Detailed/22373.html
http://www.i-newswire.com/pr1624.html
Links to related press releases:
Archive
Local politicians congratulate
Ayr Guildry on celebrations of Ayr’s great birthday
in 2005
Ayr set to celebrate 800 years as a Royal
Burgh
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