A Concert Season with Scott Brothers Duo
Jonathan & Tom Scott
OR is delighted that organist Jonathan Scott and his pianist brother, Tom, have shared some musical insights and highlights from a season in their international performing career.
The 3am alarm goes off and it’s time to get up and make our way to the airport. This is often now how our day begins. Our flights are usually early in the morning so, although we can take a taxi, we often make a 4am walk to the bus stop and then go from Manchester Piccadilly train station to Manchester airport. As we really have no time to go to the gym, it’s good exercise, too! We travel light, and after our luggage (and concert clothes) once went missing en-route, we only take hand luggage now, with one case full of cameras, and another with concert clothes and music, not forgetting the all-important organ shoes! Jonathan once had a random bag search coming back from a concert in Taiwan, and the security officer was quite bemused to find that the only items in the case were some organ music and a pair of shoes! What else do organists really need?
Our first international concert this season took us to Stockholm, Sweden, to perform the closing concert at OrganSpace (Stockholm International Organ Festival). Jonathan also gave a masterclass on the Marcussen organ of St Matteus Church, but the main event for us was piano and organ at Konserthuset Stockholm (famed for the Nobel Prize ceremonies). For the encore, Jonathan had arranged a new version of Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty Waltz. We always like to include a new piece in every concert as it helps keep the music exciting and fresh, and also keeps building our repertoire. Incidentally, we also publish the arrangements on our website, and Jonathan has transcribed over 400 pieces of music for various keyboard combinations and solo organ.
