Tributes pour in to 'beloved' founding member of Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Caroline Garden, who played timpani with the orchestra from its launch in 1974 and was also one of the longest serving musicians in the SCO, has died.

Born and raised in Aberdeen, Ms Garden’s musical journey began in the local pipe band before she moved naturally toward timpani with the Aberdeen Schools’ Orchestra.

Although she initially trained as a radiographer, a vacancy with the RSNO - then the Scottish National Orchestra - changed her path entirely, leading to what became a 50-year orchestral career.

She joined the SNO as Second Percussion and soon progressed to principal timpani. In 1974 she became a founding member of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, helping to establish the distinctive sound and character of the ensemble in its earliest days.

She remained with the SCO for 37 years before retiring in 2011, as one of the orchestra’s longest-serving and most respected players.

Among her personal highlights was the televised premiere of James MacMillan’s Veni, veni Emmanuel with Evelyn Glennie, a work in which the orchestral timpani plays a prominent role.

She also cherished memories of performing Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail at Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace, complete with Turkish percussion, one of many unforgettable collaborations with Sir Charles Mackerras.

She retired in 2011.

A spokesperson for the SCO said: “Caroline contributed immeasurably to the SCO’s success over nearly four decades. Her dedication, reliability and gentle good humour made her a beloved colleague and a quiet pillar of the ensemble’s life.

“Caroline will be remembered with deep affection and profound gratitude by generations of SCO musicians, staff and audiences.”

Fellow musician Ursula Leveaux said: “That’s sad news. She was such a huge part of my history and for all of my, relatively brief by comparison, 20 years in the orchestra.”

Heather Corbett added: “Very sad news. Caroline was an excellent musician, colleague and good friend. We shall all miss her.”