Scottish Chamber Orchestra Kicks Off Ayr 800 celebrations

(I-Newswire) December 31, 2004 - 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-Sa�ns, 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 Hallgr�msson 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
Web: www.famepublicity.co.uk

###

Company Contact Information