Find articles | David Smythe

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, RSNO Chorus and Edinburgh Festival Chorus are conducted by Patrick Hahn in an exciting Verdi Requiem at Usher Hall. 

Making his debut with the RSNO, Bassem Akiki conducts the UK premiere of Auerbach's Violin Concerto no. 1, played by its dedicatee, Philippe Quint.

David Brophy conducts the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in works by Richter, Adams and Glass. Mari Samuelsen leads and directs in Richter’s Recomposed: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons.

In Edinburgh’s Usher Hall, Schnittke’s Viola Concerto is bookended by elegiac Bach and memorable Shostakovich, conducted by Patrick Hahn. 

Gianandrea Noseda conducts his Zurich Opera forces as Adele Thomas' 2024 production arrives in Edinburgh with a cast led by Stephen Costello and Elena Stikhina. 

Rafael Payare conducts the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal with soloists Francesca Chiejina, Nicky Spence and Christopher Maltman at the Usher Hall.

Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek provide an intriguing allegory for the opioid crisis, performed blisteringly at the Edinburgh International Festival.

James Gaffigan conducts the RSNO and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in a swinging EIF opener: Wynton Marsalis' All Rise.

The SCO Chorus in a meditative mood for midsummer in music by Glass, Taverner, MacMillan and Duruflé. 

Jess Gillom and Scottish Chamber Orchestra in St Andrews in a wide-ranging programme of contemporary music. Ben Glassberg conducts.

Sir Donald Runnicles and the BBC Scottish reunite for an astonishing Mahler 2 with Karen Cargill, Jennifer Davis and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus. 

Maxim Emelyanychev and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra offer a Baroque-inspired programme of Bach, Handel, Britten, a modern take on Scarlatti and wonderfully zany Schnittke.

Stuart Stratford conducts the world premiere of Fujikura’s opera about Hokusai’s image at Scottish Opera, with Satoshi Miyagi directing with his Japanese creative team.

In Edinburgh’s Usher Hall, Mozart’s final three symphonies are given a vibrant interpretation by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by the effervescent Maxim Emelyanychev.

The Celtic Connections festival showcases Górecki’s Sorrowful Songs, the BBC Scottish with soprano Francesca Chiejina conducted by Pawel Kapula with a thoughtful introductory song set from Alice Zawadzki.

The Dunedin Messiah, a speciality with Baroque instruments, is given with soloists Nardus Williams, Lotte Betts-Dean, Joshua Ellicott and Dingle Yandell in Perth, directed by John Butt.

Andrew Manze conducts an all-Adams programme in Glasgow, Maximiliano Martín the fearless soloist in Gnarly Buttons, bookended by mesmerising Shaker Loops and exuberant Fearful Symmetries. 

Martyn Brabbins conducts MacMillan’s Confession of Isobel Gowdie, BBCSSO founder Ian Whyte’s forgotten Violin Concerto with Stephanie Gonley, and a memorable Rachmaninov 2.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra with Colin Currie fizz with energy in Duddell, Grime and Steve Reich.

Jonathan Morton leads the Scottish Ensemble in Górecki’s extraordinary Quasi una fantasia, before diving headlong into seven Anna Meredith tracks, featuring visuals by Ewan Jones Morris.

Hye-Youn Lee and Mario Chang head a strong cast in Barbe and Doucet’s revival of La bohème, which marks the retirement of veteran lighting designer, Guy Simard.

The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste, present an Arvo Pärt portrait concert in Glasgow. 

Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony is a highlight of the  London Symphony Orchestra’ s programme which also includes Vilde Frang excelling in Korngold. 

Yehudi Menuhin’s former pupils, Nicola Benedetti and Alexander Sitkovetsky celebrate his musical legacy with the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra with Rising Stars side-by-side. 

John Tavener's epic, eight-hour all-night vigil opens the festival in monumental style, directed by Thomas Guthrie. 

Thomas Søndergård conducts thrilling Shostakovich to close to the RSNO Season: lively Festive Overture, introspective Second Cello Concerto  with Daniel Müller-Schott, and an epic Eleventh Symphony.

Scottish Opera’s double bill of Trial by Jury and the world premiere of Toby Hession’s fun-packed A Matter of Misconduct! features an ensemble cast, mostly of Emerging Artists. 

With misplaced horse heads, violin case guns and as many mafia gags as you could hope for, Scottish Opera’s Merry Widow may not be subtle but it looks and sounds gorgeous. 

The RSNO adult and youth choruses head a vibrant community of singers in Jonathan Dove’s energetic and moving protest drama. 

Pekka Kuusisto and Simon Crawford-Phillips lead the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in a musical arc featuring works by Britten, Adès, Andres, Beamish and Haydn. 

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra perform Fauré moving Requiem and Vaughan Williams Mystical Songs with the SCO Chorus and Roderick Williams. 

Sir James MacMillan conducts the BBC Scottish SO in the Scottish premiere of his Concerto for Orchestra, “Ghosts”. 

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland perform Haydn’s seldom heard opera in a lively and finely sung ensemble production, directed by Jamie Manton. 

Joseph Swensen conducts a soul-searching, introspective programme of Sibelius and Bacewicz at Queen's Hall, Edinburgh. 

Ellington’s take on Tchaikovsky, Barber’s Violin Concerto with Randall Goosby and Dvořák’s New World Symphony introduced Patrick Hahn as the RSNO’s Principal Guest Conductor. 

The Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra with Riccardo Frizza conducting mix homeland sounds of Liszt and Kodály with Beethoven and Rachmaninov. 

A month early, perhaps, but Václav Luks conducts the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Chorus in Bach's joyful celebration of the Christmas story. 

A terrific Carmina Burana from the RSNO and choruses conducted by Marzena Diakun conducting. Elena Langer’s The Dong with a Luminous Nose was a perfect opener. 

Scottish Opera’s Albert Herring is updated to 1990 in Daisy Evans' likeable production, finely sung with a tight ensemble. 

Barbe and Doucet’s witty 1960s Don Pasquale is revived for Scottish Opera, with Stuart Stratford conducting a fine cast. 

Capriccio proves a fitting end to the Philharmonia’s EIF residency, with Alexander Soddy conducting a fine cast headed by Swedish soprano Malin Byström. 

Whelan conducts the lively Irish Baroque Orchestra in a recreation of Mr Charles’ 1742 Dublin concert showcasing horns and introducing the oboe d’amore and the chalumeau.

At the Edinburgh International Festival, Alison Balsom plays Wynton Marsalis's Trumpet Concerto, Pierre-Laurent plays Schoenberg's Piano Concerto before the RSNO plays Lutosławski's lively Concerto for Orchestra to finish.

Komische Oper Berlin's The Marriage of Figaro is staged at the Edinburgh International Festival with a strong cast headed by Penny Sofroniadou and Peter Kellner. 

Scottish Opera brings an immersive community production to the Edinburgh Festival directed by Roxana Haines, performed in the National Museum of Scotland.

Filmic Grażyna Bacewicz, virtuosic Saint-Saëns with Simon Trpčeski, intruiging Lutosławski and a freshly minted Ravel’s Boléro are expertly conducted by Thomas Søndergård. 

On a short UK tour, players from Juilliard415 and the Yale Schola Cantorum perform Bach’s Mass in B minor for the first time, conducted by David Hill.