1. We’re igniting a two-year celebration of Beethoven – led by our Chief Conductor Mark Wigglesworth – ahead of the 200-year anniversary of the genius composer’s death in 2027. Beethoven changed music more than any other composer and in doing so profoundly changed what our relationship to it can be. To mark his extraordinary impact, we’ll be holding three immersive weekends across the South West in 2026 which explore the composer’s universal relevance to who we are today. The first weekend will focus on the man, the second on the music and the third will explore the society in which he lived. Our CEO Dougie Scarfe said “the series promises to dive deep into how and why this music came to be and its enduring relevance on our modern lives”.
  2. Thomas Adès becomes our Celebrated Composer for the 2026/7 season. Adès is a Grammy-award-winning composer, conductor and pianist who has been described by the New York Times in 2007 as one of today’s ‘most accomplished overall musicians’. Thomas said “I am hugely looking forward to making my debut with the Orchestra in May with Johan in Air, my homage to Sibelius (whose works I will also present in Poole) and Rautavaara’s Deux Sérénè.”
  3. Michal Oren joins us as our new Calleva Assistant Conductor. After a competitive audition process – with a vote decided by members of the Orchestra – Michal became the successful winner of the Calleva Assistant Conductor competition just a few weeks ago. In her new role she’ll experience the breadth of the BSO’s work, conducting symphonic performances – including BSO Pops concerts – and education events and chamber-scale concerts throughout the region. Michal said “As a young conductor you need time on the podium to grow, and I am deeply grateful to have this opportunity with the BSO.”
  4. Our Principal Guest Conductor Chloé Van Soeterstède returns to the podium with an exciting range of repertoire including music from Dvořák, Rachmaninov and Lili Boulanger. Chloé will lead three programmes including Rachmaninov Symphony No. 1, Dvořák’s Symphony No.9 ‘From the New World’ and Lili Boulanger’s D’un Soir Triste and more.
  5. The Gramophone-award winning pianist Boris Giltburg becomes our Artist-in-Residence for the 2026/27 season and he’ll perform five times across the new season. Boris said “It’ll be wonderful to reunite with the BSO’s friendly and passionate musicians and the enthusiastic audiences, as well as to collaborate again with Mark Wigglesworth – our concerts together have been among the highlights of the last years.” Boris will also join us for work with school students when he teams up with fellow pianists for a masterclass hosted by BSO Associate Dr Jon James.
  6. We’re thrilled to announce that Lark Music becomes Digital Concert Sponsor in 2026/27! They’ll support 18 live broadcast performances from Lighthouse, Poole. The series begins its seventh season from October 2026. Allowing viewers across the globe to hear and see our music being made, our Digital concerts have gone from strength to strength – being viewed more than 19,500 times last year – and broadcasters hosting the series will include Tom Service and Sarah Walker, amongst others.

To read the full press release click here. For tickets click here.