The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is one of Scotland's "Big Five" National Performing Arts Companies, along with the Scottish Ballet, Scottish Opera, National Theatre of Scotland, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra gives a regular series of concerts in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and other Scottish cities but does not claim any one location as its home. It also gives regular concerts throughout the Scottish Highlands and Islands, as well as in Europe, Asia, and the U.S.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1974. It is made up of around 30 regular players, though its number can vary according to a given work's instrumental demands. The orchestra's first principal conductor was Roderick Brydon, who served from 1974 until 1983. Jukka-Pekka Saraste was the principal conductor from 1987 until 1991, and he was succeeded by Ivor Bolton from 1994 until 1996. Charles Mackerras held the position of principal guest conductor from 1992 to 1995, when he was named conductor laureate, a title he held until his death in 2010. Mackerras made a number of highly successful recordings with the orchestra, including the Brahms symphonies and five Mozart operas; many of the ensemble's greatest successes came under Mackerras' baton, at least in the recording venue. Mackerras' recording of Mozart's last four symphonies with the orchestra received numerous awards, including the BBC Music Magazine Disc of the Year in 2009.

Joseph Swensen succeeded Bolton in 1996 and led the Scottish Chamber Orchestra as principal conductor until 2005 when he was named conductor emeritus, a position he still held in the early 2020s. Robin Ticciati was named principal conductor in 2009 and served until 2018. That year, Maxim Emelyanychev made his debut with the orchestra when he stepped in as a last-minute substitute for Ticciati. Owing to his debut, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra announced Emelyanychev as its next principal conductor, assuming the post in 2019.

The repertory of the orchestra is quite varied, encompassing the works of Mozart and Haydn, as well as of Prokofiev and Peter Maxwell Davies. The orchestra has commissioned a number of works from the latter composer, including ten so-called Strathclyde Concertos. Other composers who have received commissions from the orchestra include Einjuhani Rautavaara, Judith Weir, Mark-Anthony Turnage, and many others. Among the orchestra's notable guest conductors are Andrew Litton, Nicholas McGegan, and Frans Brüggen. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra has recorded for Telarc, Delos, Linn, and other labels. The group frequently performs with its adjunct organization, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus, which was founded in 1991. In 2020, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra was heard on a pair of Linn albums: symphonic music by Bizet and Gounod and piano concertos by Mozart. ~ Robert Cummings & Keith Finke, Rovi