Outreach

Throughout the year there are a variety of opportunities – from tours to concerts and shows – for licence fee payers to gain better understanding of what we do. Moreover, Â鶹Éç Scotland produces a range of off-air events which add more value for audiences by going beyond the programmes to provide enjoyable and informative experiences that allow them to engage directly with the shows they love and, in turn, with the organisation.

Glasgow’s River Festival took place in July and Â鶹Éç Scotland hosted a number of interactive activities for families; including news reading; sports commentary; games with childrens’ favourite, Raven; and experiments with Nina and the Neurons. Thousands took part in the festivities across the weekend and the feedback we received illustrated the importance of faceto- face experiences in building relationships with our many audiences.

Of equal impact, later in the year, was the series of concerts to celebrate the Scotland’s History campaign. From a large scale launch concert at Stirling Castle to smaller, more intimate recitals in historical locations across Scotland, these events, featuring the Â鶹Éç Scottish Symphony Orchestra (Â鶹Éç SSO), welcomed invited guests and members of the public.

In 2009, Ilan Volkov’s final season as Chief Conductor of the orchestra, was certainly one to remember, whether the concerts were enjoyed via broadcast, in the concert hall or online.

Across the year, the Â鶹Éç SSO reached over 45,000 people in performances throughout Scotland, from its home base in Glasgow’s City Halls to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Inverness, Ayr, Stirling, Dornoch and Haddington.

Two standout performances from the highly successful Russian Winter series at City Halls – which was broadcast live in its entirety, on Â鶹Éç Radio 3 – were ‘visualised’ for online audiences and amassed an impressive total of nearly 4,000 on-demand hits within a five week period.

Other highlights included a glamorous nod to Hollywood with Christmas at the Movies for Â鶹Éç Radio Scotland and the Â鶹Éç SSO continued to support the annual outdoor spectacular Proms in the Park, which attracted15,000 people to the live show on Glasgow Green.

Moments of genuine inspiration, especially for new audiences, were provided through Listen Here!, a big weekend of free music last summer which enabled 3,500 people of all ages to get involved in some unforgettable orchestral experiences.

The Â鶹Éç SSO has also established a successful partnership with Sistema Scotland, the highly acclaimed music education project in Raploch, Stirling to transform children’s lives through music, empower communities and grow future orchestras. Early evidence clearly shows an immediate and significant benefit to the whole community from the developing programme of performance and learning.

Since moving to City Halls, the orchestra has become part of a group of resident organisations all focussed on providing educational opportunities across age ranges, musical genres and experience. One of the first, and undoubtedly most successful of these initiatives, was the formation of the Merchant Voices, City Halls’ own community choir. Around 70 people from communities throughout Glasgow now regularly meet as an ensemble together with players from the orchestra who coach them during the session over a 20 week period.

Such experiences underpin the Â鶹Éç Scotland events strategy – supporting our objective of placing audiences at the heart of everything we do by providing them with alternative ways in which they can engage with our content.