Dalia Stasevska to Join the BBC Symphony Orchestra as its New Principal Guest Conductor

Announced this week at the annual Association of British Orchestras conference in a keynote speech from Alan Davey, the BBC Symphony Orchestra has appointed young, Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska as its Principal Guest Conductor.

She will join the current BBC SO conducting team of Sakari Oramo (Chief Conductor), Sir Andrew Davis (Conductor Laureate), and Semyon Bychkov (Günter Wand Conducting Chair).

Widely recognised as one of Scandinavia’s brightest talents, Stasevska’s appointment follows her debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in its 17/18 season and a second performance in 18/19 in two highly-successful studio concerts at Maida Vale. Next year, she will lead the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a range of projects, beginning in April 2020, with further details to be announced at the 19/20 Barbican season launch in February.

Her appointment at the BBC SO builds on recent appearances across Europe. During the 2017/18 season Stasevska appeared with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Gothenburg Symphony, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Orchestra of Opera North, Orchestre National de Lyon, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. In December 2018, she conducted the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. The 2018/19 season has already seen Stasevska make her debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Helsinki Philharmonic, and in Spring 2019 she will conduct Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Kungliga Operan.

Paul Hughes, Director of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, says:
“Dalia comes to the BBC Symphony Orchestra at a time when it is playing at the very top of its game, and joins a family of conductors that is second to none. Together with Sakari Oramo, Semyon Bychkov and Sir Andrew Davis, she will bring an extraordinary musicianship that speaks directly from the heart to musicians and audiences alike, and her appointment ushers in an exciting new chapter in the orchestra’s life.” 

Sakari Oramo, Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, says:
“I am delighted to welcome Dalia Stasevska into the BBC SO family. She will provide us with fresh energy and insight, and I am particularly happy that Finnish conductors keep inspiring London musicians into permanent artistic partnerships.”

Dalia Stasevska, Principal Guest Conductor designate of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, says:
 “I am thrilled to be invited to be the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s new Principal Guest Conductor. From when we first met in May 2018 at a Maida Vale studio concert, I felt directly a mutual connection with the musicians.  The BBC SO is a very inspiring, energetic orchestra with a huge range of colours in its sound, and I am looking forward to working together over the next few years, exploring a wide range of music.”

Stasevska has built a reputation for conducting a wide range of music from core orchestral repertoire to new and contemporary music. In particular, her passion for opera and collaboration with artists from different genres chimes well with the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s distinctive programming. Stasevska is also passionate about engaging new audiences with classical music fitting with the broad offering of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus’ work which is featured on BBC Radio and TV, giving it the highest broadcast profile of any UK orchestra.

For further information about the BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, please contact:
Camilla Dervan, Communications Manager – BBC Proms, BBC Orchestras and Choirs, and BBC Ten Pieces camilla.dervan@bbc.co.uk / 07921 648262
Anna Hughes, Publicist – BBC Proms, BBC Orchestras and Choirs, and BBC Ten Pieces anna.hughes@bbc.co.uk / 07921 648896

For further information about Dalia Stasevska, please contact:
Sabina Nielsen, Associate Director – VBPR
sabina@vbpr.co.uk / 020 7586 8560

Please visit Dalia Stasevska’s website and listen to an interview she gave at her December 2018 studio concert with the BBC SO at Maida Vale here.

About the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
At the heart of British music for over 80 years, the BBC Symphony Orchestra performs an exciting, distinctive and wide-ranging season of concerts at the Barbican in its role as Associate Orchestra, offering everything from works at the heart of classical music to world premieres from today’s finest composers. The BBC SO provides the backbone of the BBC Proms, performing around a dozen concerts each year, including the First and Last Nights, and is often flanked by the BBC Symphony Chorus - one of the finest amateur choruses in the country. The BBC SO performs throughout the world, and works regularly with its Chief Conductor Sakari Oramo, Semyon Bychkov, its Günter Wand Conducting Chair and Conductor Laureate Sir Andrew Davis. Strongly committed to twentieth-century and contemporary music, it has given recent premieres of works by Harrison Birtwistle, Betsy Jolas, George Walker and Raymond Yiu. Central to its life are recordings made for BBC Radio 3 during sessions at its studios in Maida Vale, London, some of which are free for the public to attend. The vast majority of its concerts are broadcast on BBC Radio 3, streamed live online, and a number are televised, giving it the highest broadcast profile of any UK orchestra.
www.bbc.co.uk/symphonyorchestra