Finnish-Ukrainian conductor Dalia Stasevska has been appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. The announcement was made at the annual Association of British Orchestras conference. Making her debut at the Proms in July, she joins fellow Finn Sakari Oramo (Chief Conductor), Sir Andrew Davis (Conductor Laureate) and Semyon Bychkov (Günter Wand Conducting Chair) on the BBC SO’s conducting team.

Stasevska is building a healthy reputation as a conductor of both operatic and symphonic works across Europe, with the 2018-19 season having already seen her debuts with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Helsinki Philharmonic. She will also conduct Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Stockholm’s Kungliga Operan this spring.

Her appointment follows two broadcast concerts at Maida Vale, in which she led the BBC SO in performances of works by Sibelius, Rautavaara and Stravinsky.

‘I felt directly a mutual connection with the musicians’, the young conductor said of her debut with the ensemble. ‘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.’

Further details regarding the scope of this repertoire will be announced as part of the 2019-20 Barbican season launch.

Thomas Pinsker