In our 2026/27 Season, there are four chances to hear The Orchestra of Scottish Opera in concert, led by four guest conductors. From Lammermuir Festival in September and Ayr Concert Series in October to two celebratory concerts in Inverness and Aberdeen in November, join us around Scotland this Autumn to see the Orchestra in the spotlight.
Les Illuminations at Lammermuir Festival
Revitalising British opera over his four-decade career, Benjamin Britten’s lifelong fascination with the human voice yielded several outstanding works for solo voice and orchestra, rivalling anything he wrote for the stage with their drama, sophistication, and emotional impact.
At this year's Lammermuir Festival, we present three of his pieces to honour the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death. Don't miss an early opportunity to hear 2026/27 Scottish Opera Emerging Artist singers, sopranos Charlotte Jane Kennedy and Avery Lafrentz, and mezzo-soprano Charlotte Clapperton alongside The Orchestra of Scottish Opera conducted by Douglas Boyd.
This concert spans from Britten's early song cycles Our Hunting Fathers and Les Illuminations, melding poetry bewildering and seductive into bold artist's statements, to his final cantata Phaedra. Arvo Pärt's Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten opens the concert to commemorate 50 years since the great English composer's death.
Audiences can expect a fitting tribute to Britten's lifelong fascination with the human voice, in the atmospheric surroundings of St Mary's Kirk, Haddington.
Friday 11 September, 7.30pm
St Mary's Kirk, Haddington
Music for Strings: Ayr Concert Series
Join The Orchestra of Scottish Opera and conductor Molly Turner for an evening celebrating the very best of British and British-inspired music for strings - from the virtuosic brilliance of Elgar to Vaughan Williams’ luminous Tallis Fantasia. The concert ends with a moment to savour: 30 young musicians from South Ayrshire Music Service join the professionals for Jeff Moore’s folk inspired Fiddler’s Hill - written especially for this meeting of generations.
Wednesday 7 October, 7.30pm
Ayr Town Hall
HMT 120 Opera Gala
In an evening celebrating 120 years of His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, Conductor Harry Sever leads The Orchestra of Scottish Opera and a stellar line-up of soloists including soprano Paula Sides, tenors Sang-Eup Son and Jamie MacDougall, and former Scottish Opera Emerging Artists mezzo-soprano Chloe Harris and baritone Ross Cumming.
The first half travels through opera's greatest hits, from the drama of Bizet’s Carmen and Verdi’s Rigoletto to Puccini's Turandot, Gianni Schicchi, and the rarely-heard Edgar. The second half turns to the golden age of operetta and musical theatre, with highlights from The Merry Widow, South Pacific, Carousel, Kiss Me Kate, and Oklahoma!.
Thursday 12 November, 7.30pm
His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen
A Night at the Opera!
Fifty years ago, the curtain rose at Eden Court, Inverness for the first time, with Mozart’s The Magic Flute among the opening night music. Opera has never been far from its stage since. This special evening celebrates opera in all its colour, drama, and humanity, with a distinctly Scottish heart.
Presented by much-loved broadcaster and tenor Jamie MacDougall and with the full force of The Orchestra of Scottish Opera, the evening brings together some of opera's most beloved moments alongside works by women composers. From the soaring power of Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves to iconic selections from Carmen, Tannhäuser, and of course The Magic Flute, this is opera at its most vivid. As a special treat, Jamie also performs a collection of Sir Harry Lauder's songs, fresh from the Broadway run of Lauder!
Friday 20 November, 7.30pm
Eden Court, Inverness