BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra - About The Orchestra

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Biography

Formed in December 1935 by Scottish composer and conductor Ian Whyte, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is recognised as one of the UK's leading orchestras. The winner of several awards, including a Royal Philharmonic Society Award and four Gramophone Awards, its wide repertoire and flexible approach means it can perform complex contemporary pieces alongside major symphonic works.

The orchestra has a busy broadcasting schedule on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Television and also records commercially.

Full biography of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

In January 2006, Glasgow's fully restored Victorian City Halls became the broadcasting, administration and performing base of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

Dating from 1841, the City Halls complex sits in the heart of Glasgow's Merchant City, and has been transformed from a neglected municipal space into a beautiful neo-classical hall with access to creativity, learning, and world class music making. As well as the Grand Hall, the building also houses an intimate recital room and one of Glasgow's most popular venues, The Old Fruitmarket.

Famed for its fine acoustics the Grand Hall has been the preferred concert space of the BBC SSO since the 1970s. As the orchestra's original home at the BBC's former base in Glasgow's West End had become too challenging for the needs of a modern broadcasting orchestra, BBC Scotland saw the potential of the City Halls as a new home for its orchestra and its audiences, in a modern centre for musical excellence.