Colin Currie directs the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in two vibrant evenings of music by Steve Reich
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The groundbreaking music of Steve Reich is the foundation of a concert with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) directed by Edinburgh-born percussionist Colin Currie.
On 6 and 7 November in Edinburgh and Glasgow, Colin Currie opens the SCO’s 25/26 New Dimensions Series with Steve Reich+, a programme celebrating one of America’s greatest living composers.
The Edinburgh-born and internationally acclaimed percussionist Colin Currie directs and performs two of Reich’s groundbreaking works, including the high-energy rhythms of Runner and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Double Sextet.
Currie, who has long championed both the SCO and the music of Steve Reich, said: “Working with the SCO is a total thrill, I have known this orchestra all my life. I grew up in Edinburgh and would regularly come to the concerts.
“Presenting the music of Steve Reich is very exciting. He is a composer I am exceptionally close to. Doing this repertoire with an established orchestra like the SCO is a sensational opportunity to share his music.”
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Currie says this year they “are upping the ante even further” following the highly-acclaimed Steve Reich+ concert with the SCO in November 2023 (rated five stars by The Scotsman).
Alongside Reich’s masterpieces, audiences will hear Helen Grime’s River in its UK premiere and Joe Duddell’s Snowblind, offering fresh perspectives on today’s musical landscape.
The concerts follow Currie’s appearance in the SCO’s 2025/26 Season Opener From Darkness to Light, in which he performed James MacMillan’s Veni, Veni Emmanuel.
Currie also joined the orchestra last month for the MacMillan piece as part of their European tour performing in Romania, Belgium and Germany with Principal Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev.
Jamie Pettinger (aka St. Sunday), Director and co-founder of Edinburgh's community radio station EHFM, will be DJing in the foyer before and after the Steve Reich+ concert when the bars will stay open.
Steve Reich+ starts at 7.30pm and takes place at The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, on 6 November, and City Halls, Glasgow, on 7 November. Arrive early to enjoy DJ St. Sunday on the decks from 6.30pm.
“If performing a programme of late and post-minimalist music represented something of a gamble for the SCO, it paid off very handsomely.” (quoted from the five-star Scotsman review of Steve Reich +, November 2023 at Queen’s Hall)
Tickets Standard: from £15 Under 26s and Students: £6 Tickets (Proof of age, student ID required)
As part of the media partnership between the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and The Scotsman, we're offering 20 per cent off tickets to concerts in the SCO's upcoming 2025/26 season. All you need to do is quote the code TSMSCO20 when booking – for venue contact details visit www.sco.org.uk.
How to Book: You can book tickets online or through the venue websites. Or you can telephone the box office: The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh: 0131 668 2019 Glasgow, City Halls: 0141 353 8000
Programme: DUDDELL Snowblind GRIME River (UK Premiere) REICH Runner REICH Double Sextet