Home Culture RSNO Digital Season begins on Friday

RSNO Digital Season begins on Friday

October 4, 2020 12:11 pm

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) is launching a major new season online – and it all begins on Friday.

On a subscription basis you can watch the season of ten concerts filmed live in the RSNO studio with Covid-19 safety measures in place. This season will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven, and includes some music rarely heard by Scottish audiences.

This is the orchestra’s way of fighting back against all the lockdown measures. So even though you cannot be in the concert hall in person you can watch from the comfort of your own living room.

Broadcast throughout October 2020 – February 2021, the RSNO Digital Season is available on subscription or a pay per concert basis.

Chief Executive of the RSNO, Alistair Mackie, said: “We were moved and encouraged by the support we received at home and internationally for our efforts to keep bringing music to people during the lockdown period.

“Despite the continued challenges we face, we remain committed to presenting concerts of the very highest international quality that we hope may inspire and encourage us all as we work together to find a way though COVID-19 times.

“At the end of 2019 we created a dedicated digital team of just two staff members to start to grow our online content. Never did we imagine that just a few months later that same small digital team would become the backbone of our new way of working.

“I cannot wait to share these ten brand-new digital concerts with our audiences as we continue to connect with people across Scotland, and around the world, through the power of music.”

RSNO Music Director Thomas Søndergård said: “This time last year we were preparing to open our Season, and I was approaching my 50th birthday. A big birthday often comes with reflection on the new decade ahead, but never did I imagine how monumental and historic this past year would be. The pandemic has been unlike anything any of us have experienced, and like many people I have found great comfort and strength in music during this time.

“It has been wonderful to be reunited with musicians as we prepare to bring new concerts to our audiences at home in Scotland, and around the world. Although we were apart during lockdown, we stayed connected and bonded together by our love of music and our drive to return to rehearsals and performance once again.

“I am proud of the work we have done to produce a Digital Season to safely reconnect and share new music experiences together again. We will continue to be joined by world-renowned solo artists during our Digital Season, and celebrate wonderful themes of Beethoven’s 250th year, diverse composers, and music connections from around the world.”