Part of Supercool's Arts + Culture In Lockdown series

Louisa Stanway – Concerts and Projects Manager, Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Wow – what a change 2020 has been to what was planned.

I have to admit that at Christmas 2019, I was slightly nervous about the jam-packed nature of 2020 – a tour to Asia with the orchestra, artists and a whole lot of percussion; a month later, my own wedding; then the Edinburgh International Festival and all that brings with it, alongside my role producing the final closing fireworks concert for 12,500 people in central Edinburgh and countless others listening on radios, online and watching the fireworks from around the Edinburgh region; then, finally, a two-week tour to the USA with the orchestra in the autumn.

Slowly and steadily each one of these events has fallen out of the year. When one went, that changed the outlook for the rest of the year, but gradually as everything has fallen by the wayside, it got to the point of wondering what was left. Apart from the capacity for change.

Large parts of what has constituted my job for the last two years, and my time at the company for the past nine years are going to change irrevocably.

Large parts of the industry are going to change irrevocably.

But not necessarily for the worse. Yes, the way we have become used to doing things has to change, but is that all bad? Does it provide us with the space to ask other questions – questions we would never have asked before due to lack of time, of space to think, or because it has always worked well, so why would you question it?

What is the important element in our industry? Well it’s two things actually, and one is dependent on the other – the first is connection, and the second is relevance. How do we connect with people and how are we relevant to people? I’m excited for the future!

Part of Supercool's Arts + Culture In Lockdown series