John Storgårds
+++ Press Release +++
John Storgårds appointed Principal Guest Conductor of BBC Philharmonic
Hanover, 4 March 2011. John Storgårds is today announced as the next Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic.
His contract starts in January 2012, and his first performance as the BBC Philharmonic's Principal Guest Conductor at Manchester´s Bridgewater Hall will take place on 16 March 2012.Storgårds will perform up to four programmes with the orchestra per season, including regular appearances at the BBC Proms. Several recordings are also planned on the Chandos label, starting with a Sibelius cycle. Vassily Sinaisky, who is currently Chief Guest Conductor at the BBC Philharmonic, becomes Conductor Emeritus from September 2011.
Storgårds has been Chief Conductor of Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (HPO) since 2008/2009, and will continue until the 2013/2014 season.
“It is with great enthusiasm that I am continuing my journey with the Helsinki Philharmonic, both in Finland and internationally,” comments Storgårds. “I am especially proud to be leading them at such an exciting time for Helsinki with the opening of our new music hall this autumn. At the same time, I am very much looking forward to intensifying my relationship with another of Europe’s distinguished orchestras, the BBC Philharmonic. For me, both orchestras are a great inspiration and I feel privileged to hold a position with each of them.”
Storgårds is currently appearing as a guest conductor with such orchestras as Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg, Bamberger Symphoniker and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. He also enjoys regular collaborations with BBC Scottish Symphony and the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London.
In the upcoming season, the Finn makes significant debuts in North America including National Symphony Orchestra Washington with soloist Gidon Kremer in October 2011, followed by Houston and Toronto symphony orchestras in February 2012. The same month, he returns to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra with violinist Christian Tetzlaff.
This spring sees the release of a new disc with the HPO for Ondine: an all-Korngold CD, featuring the Symphony op. 40 and the world premiere recording of “Tänzchen im alten Stil” (“Dance in the old style”). The release in the UK and the USA is scheduled for 26th April.
Aside from his position at the HPO, Storgårds is also the Artistic Director of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra. He was Chief Conductor of Tampere Philharmonic until spring 2009. In addition to his work as a conductor, Storgårds also remains active as a solo violinist.
Press Contact: Konzertdirektion Schmid, Astrid Brauer
Tel. +49 (0)511-36607- 56/59, Fax +49 (0)511-36607-72, astrid.brauer@kdschmid.de
Notes to Editors:
The BBC Philharmonic is acknowledged as one of Europe's finest orchestras. It is part of the BBC’s family of six performing groups, and from its Manchester base it tours widely in the UK and internationally. Most concerts are broadcast live or recorded for BBC Radio 3.
The BBC Philharmonic has an exclusive relationship with Chandos, recording around ten discs per year. A recent disc of Bartok Piano Concertos is currently nominated for a BBC Music Magazine Award.
