The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra, became the Scottish National Orchestra in 1950, and was awarded Royal Patronage in 1977. Throughout its history, the Orchestra has played an integral part in Scotland’s musical life, including performing at the opening ceremony of the Scottish Parliament building in 2004. This Summer, the RSNO joined forces with PARMA as part of the 2019 Call for Scores initiative, and we wanted to take the time to introduce you to this powerful presence in the contemporary music scene.
We recently spoke with Bill Chandler, Director of Concerts and Engagements with the RSNO. A native of the United States, Bill’s career started with the Florida Philharmonic and Houston Symphony before a course of events (which we discuss in the interview) brought him to Scotland and to the orchestra in 1995. Since that time, Bill has seen the orchestra through many exciting developments, and in July 2017 he became a full-time member of the administrative team when he was appointed as the RSNO’s Director of Artistic Planning and Engagement.
In our discussion, we delved into Bill’s history with the orchestra, what royal patronage means and how to receive it, reasons the RSNO is looking forward to its collaboration with PARMA, and more.
Thank you Bill and the RSNO for speaking with us! The Call for Scores submission period will be closing soon, but there is still time to submit your orchestral scores for consideration. Visit our website for more information on how to submit.
