Honour for SCO Chief Executive, Roy McEwan
Oct 19, 2011
Yesterday at Buckingham Palace, HRH The Princess Royal awarded Roy McEwan, Chief Executive of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, with an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his services to music
Commenting on his award in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2011, Mr McEwan said:
Everything we do in the performing arts is achieved through working together, and so any recognition of this kind is an accolade for the arts in Scotland. In my case, for all the organisations I’ve been lucky enough to work with over the last thirty years and, above all, for the wonderful Scottish Chamber Orchestra. I’m delighted and feel very privileged.
Roy McEwan has dedicated his whole working life to the arts, which is shown by his impressive work history. He was House Manager at the St George’s Theatre in London and Manager of the Whitechapel Art Gallery. He has worked for macRobert Arts Centre (University of Stirling), became the Director of Arts Development for North West Arts Board (Manchester) and appointed Chief Executive of the SCO in 1993. He was the Chairman for the Federation of Scottish Theatre, served on the Scottish Arts Council Drama Committee and Combined Arts Committee, and was a Council member of the Scottish Arts Council (now Creative Scotland). Roy has been a board member for the Scottish Music Information Centre and for the Association of British Orchestras. He was Chairman to the ABO’s Scottish forum and of Glasgow Grows Audiences (now Culture Sparks) and a Trustee of the Scottish Musician Benevolent fund.
Donald MacDonald, Chairman of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, commented:
I am absolutely delighted that Roy has been given this well-deserved award. Since Roy became Chief Executive of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in the early 1990s, he has played a crucial role in establishing it as one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world with an international reputation for its live performances at home and abroad and its many recordings. The award of this OBE is a very appropriate recognition also of his contribution to the wider Scottish arts and music scene and all that he has helped to achieve.
The OBE was first created in 1917 by George V because he recognised the need to honour those who were contributing to the war effort as either combatants or civilians on the home front. From 1918 this award was expanded to recognise services to the state in a much wider sense, rather than just in militaristic terms. Nowadays, an OBE awards those who have made an outstanding contribution to arts and science, public services and the work of charitable and welfare organisations.
The Audience Business would like to congratulate Roy McEwan on this fantastic achievement and thank him for his outstanding contribution to the arts so far.
