Mon 08 Jan 2007

Conductor Sir Charles Mackerras, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra have been nominated for the classical music award at The South Bank Show Awards 2007 for their contribution to the Edinburgh International Festival 2006.

Mackerras conducted Beethoven’s nine symphonies as part of the Lloyds TSB Scotland Concerts, which consisted of three concerts a night, three nights a week at the Usher Hall for the duration of the Festival. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra performed eight of the nine symphonies, with the Philharmonia Orchestra taking on Beethoven’s ninth for the final concert.

The winners of the South Bank Show Awards will be announced on Tuesday 23 January 2007 in a star-studded ceremony at The Savoy, hosted by Melvyn Bragg.

Sir Charles Mackerras has close connections with the Edinburgh International Festival, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, where he is Conductor Laureate, and the Philharmonia, where he is Principal Guest Conductor.

The Lloyds TSB Scotland Concerts proved a popular and critical success at the 2006 Edinburgh International Festival, and contributed significantly to a fantastic year for classical music. Over 14,000 more tickets to classical music events were sold in 2006, 38% up on the previous year.

Nominees in the Classical Music category are:

• Sir Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra & the Philharmonia Orchestra for the Beethoven Symphonies in the Lloyds TSB Scotland Concerts at the Edinburgh International Festival 2006.

• The Hallé Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra &Northern College of Music for Shostakovich, His Heroes and Comrades.

• Simon Holt for Witness to a Snow Miracle (Violin Concertos)

ENDS

Further information about the awards and other nominees can be found in the enclosed press release from The South Bank Show Awards.

For further information please contact the Susie Burnet on 0131 473 2020 or press@eif.co.uk