THE RSNO is welcoming Hong Kong-born Elim Chan to conduct a second programme with the orchestra, two weeks after making her Scottish début.

Chan, the first female winner of the London Symphony Orchestra’s Donatella Flick Conducting Competition and current Dudamel Fellow at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, returns to Scotland to replace RSNO Conductor Laureate Neeme Järvi, who has had to withdraw on medical advice.

Chan will be joined by Argentinian pianist Ingrid Fliter, who recently toured with the RSNO to Spain, and who will perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No2. There is an alteration to the remaining programme, with Rachmaninov’s Symphony No2 replacing Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture in place of the composer’s Hamlet Fantasy Overture.

Chan made her Scottish début with the RSNO last week to audiences in Kirkcaldy and Musselburgh, conducting Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture and Italian Symphony, No4.

rsno.org.uk.

SCOTTISH artist Douglas Gordon, pictured, will receive the title of Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres this week

The title of "Commander" is the highest of three decorations (Chevalier, Officier and Commandeur) given by Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, an Order of France.

Gordon will accept the title, which was awarded to him in 2012, from The French Ambassador to Germany.

The artist, who was born in Glasgow in 1966 and grew up in Maryhill, will be among a select group of visual artists to receive this title and only the second Scot after Sir Sean Connery.

After receiving a B.A. at the Glasgow School of Art (1984-88), Gordon undertook a post-graduate program at the Slade School of Art in London (1988-90).

The artist has had major solo exhibitions at Tate Liverpool (2000), Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2001), The Hayward Gallery, London (2002) and Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven (2003).

He won the Turner Prize in 1996 and has represented the UK at the Venice Biennale, and lives in Berlin.

gagosian.com/artists/douglas-gordon

GARRY Tallent, the long-time bassist with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, plays The Green Hotel in Kinross on May 29 as part of his first tour as a bandleader. Detroit-born Tallent, who is currently touring Australia and New Zealand with Springsteen and has a new album, Break Time, available now, will be bringing a seven-piece band to Kinross and will be supported by singer-songwriter Kevin Montgomery, son of Bob Montgomery, the late record producer and early musical partner of Buddy Holly. The concert is promoted by Mundell Music, who also have California-based British blue-eyed soul singer Terry Reid appearing in Kinross in May.

mundellmusic.com