1935
First rehearsal & broadcast
December 1935
The 37-piece ‘BBC Scottish Orchestra’ was officially founded on 1 December 1935 by conductor and composer Ian Whyte.
Just two days later, on 3 December 1935, the orchestra gave its first live broadcast on the BBC's National Network from its Edinburgh Studio on Queen Street.
According to the Radio Times that day (“Time Signal, Greenwich, at 2.0”), the programme featured orchestral excerpts by Cyril Scott, Simonetti, Scassola, Montague Phillips, and Saint-Saëns, along with violin solos by Svendsen, Gossec, Elgar, and de Falla, performed by T. A. Carter.
The orchestra’s founder Ian Whyte remained a driving force in subsequent decades as Principal Conductor from 1946 to 1960. Also a prolific composer, Whyte wrote over 40 works performed by the orchestra across each of its nine decades.
On 20 November 2025, the orchestra gave the belated world premiere of Ian Whyte's Violin Concerto (edited by Robin McEwan). Conducted by Martyn Brabbins, with soloist Stephanie Gonley, this performance finally brought one of his last major works to life.
