Ryan Wigglesworth has been announced as the next chief conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, taking over from Thomas Dausgaard, who has been at the helm since 2016.
Wigglesworth will move into his new post in September this year. He will join the orchestra this Sunday as part of the BBC Orchestras and Choirs' celebrations of the BBC's centenary, performing works by Weill, Richard Strauss and Berg, as well as one of Wigglesworth's original compositions. Conductor and orchestra will be reunited again in May for a concert of Sibelius's Symphony No. 4 and the world premiere of a new work by the orchestra's artist in residence Jörg Widmann. Also on the programme is Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 12, which Wigglesworth will lead from the piano.
As a composer-conductor, Wigglesworth has led and written for some of the UK's top orchestras. He was previously principal guest conductor of the Hallé Orchestra and composer-in-residence at the English National Opera.
He has performed with the orchestra several times before at the Aldeburgh Festival and in its home in Glasgow's City Halls. Together, they undertook a series of recording sessions last year, including a live performance of Elgar's Symphony No. 1 at City Halls, the orchestra's first public appearance with an audience since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
'I look forward to making this beautiful and vibrant city my musical home, and to connecting with all of our audiences across Scotland in the coming seasons,' says Wigglesworth.
