A further six-month delay in the refurbishment of the
Scottish capital's main concert hall has forced the Royal Scottish National
Orchestra to cut its 2008/9 Edinburgh season and revert to the Festival Theatre, temporary venue for the season just ended.
The Usher Hall has been closed for a much needed
overhaul and will open briefly for this year's Edinburgh Festival, though with a warning that it
will show some signs of being a building
site.
Last year's regular Sunday evening Festival Theatre
slot is no longer available and the RSNO concerts will take place on varying
days.
The season's opening concert, set for Friday, October
3 in the Usher Hall, will now take place in the Festival Theatre on Wednesday,
October 1. Some planned Edinburgh
concerts have been dropped because the Festival Theatre is already fully booked
on the necessary dates and the RSNO will
only return to its natural Edinburgh
home for the last two concerts of the
season in May 2009.
Chief Executive Simon Woods said:"The RSNO is indebted
to Festival City Theatres who have bent over backwards to provide a solution
during this time. The RSNO had a fantastic season there last year and we are
all delighted to be working with them once again."
"The Usher Hall redevelopment is crucial for the RSNO in a moment in our
history when we are thriving and audiences are growing. Whilst the unforeseen
challenges with the project are unfortunate, we are very pleased that we have
been able to relocate to the Edinburgh Festival Theatre for the majority of our
2008-9 Season, so that we can continue to bring world class symphonic music to Edinburgh
through this period."
The RSNO's Edinburgh
concerts brochure will be available from Wednesday 25 June, when subscriptions
go on sale through the Festival City Theatres Box Office on 0131 529 6000.