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The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra has announced that Mark Wigglesworth will be its next principal conductor. Wigglesworth succeeding Kirill Karabits, who has held the position since 2008. He has served as the orchestra’s principal guest conductor since 2021. He His term will begin in the 2025/2026 season. This is the first time in nearly 60 years that an Englishman has been Chief Conductor.

Wigglesworth is 59 years old and was born in Sussex. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music and other schools, and after winning the 1989 Kirill Kondrashin International Conducting Competition, he served as principal conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (1996-2000) and principal guest conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra (1998-2001). 2015/ He was Music Director of the English National Opera from the 2015/2016 season, but resigned after one season.

It was also announced that French youngster Chloé van Soeterstède will replace Wigglesworth. Her term of office will be four years, beginning with the 2024/2025 season. Born in 1988, Soeterstède studied viola before becoming a conductor. He was discovered by Marin Allsopp, then chief conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and made his debut with the orchestra in 2022.

PHOTO：Mark Allan