Royal Scottish National Orchestra performance kicks off Airport’s ‘Best of Scotland’ celebration
Passengers at Glasgow Airport were today (Wednesday 31 July) treated to a first-class performance with a Caledonian twist from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
RSNO Chorus Director Gregory Batsleer led over 50 orchestral musicians for two performances in the main terminal this morning (9.30am and 10.30am) to mark the start of Glasgow Airport’s ‘Best of Scotland’ celebration.
The Best of Scotland festival provides passengers with the opportunity to celebrate and experience Scotland’s finest food, drink and culture, and will see the terminal and surrounding areas showcase some of the best tastes, sights and sounds of the country during the month of August.
As part of the celebrations, the RSNO performed a selection of the country’s most iconic pieces of music, including Flower of Scotland, Auld Lang Syne and Loch Lomond.
Adam Ashe, Number Eight for the airport’s commercial partner Glasgow Warriors, was also be in attendance and swapped the oval ball for the conductor’s baton to lead Scotland’s national orchestra.
Mark Johnston, Glasgow Airport’s Managing Director, said: “For many visitors the airport is their first and last impression of Scotland, and our Best of Scotland campaign is a great way to celebrate the quality of our country’s fare while also providing exciting and interesting entertainment for our passengers.
“The Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s annual performance is one of the highlights of the year for both the terminal team and of course our passengers. We’ve enjoyed a fantastic partnership with the RSNO over the years and once again these fantastic musicians put in a first-class performance in the terminal.
“It was also great to welcome Adam Ashe along for the performance and good to know that when he eventually retires from rugby he will be well-versed to tackle a career as a chorus conductor!”
Gregory Batsleer, RSNO Chorus Conductor, said: “It’s a complete joy to surprise passers-by with the thrilling sounds that come from a large professional orchestra, especially in one of Scotland’s busiest airports.
“It’s really important that we as musicians are able perform music outside of the concert hall and I’m excited that passengers arriving to Glasgow Airport from all over the world were welcomed with music from Scotland’s National Orchestra.”