The Dutch conductor taking over Scottish orchestra of 'deeply human, curious and fearless musicians'

Antony Hermus has is to take on the role of chief conductor at the orchestra, which he described as a group of “deeply human, curious and fearless musicians”.

Hermus completes his tenure as chief conductor of the Belgian National Orchestra this summer to become conductor laureate for the 26/27 season, before moving to the BBC SSO in September next year.

He has forged a close artistic relationship with the BBC SSO since making his debut in 2018, with a Romantic repertoire, opera and contemporary music, pairing Ligeti’s avant-garde Mysteries of the Macabre with a 70-minute distillation of Wagner’s Ring Cycle.

This autumn, he will lead the orchestra in performances of Mahler’s Tenth Symphony in Glasgow and Perth, pairing it with a meditation on loss, Mahler, and mortality by fellow Dutch composer Willem Jeths.

Hermus said: “I am incredibly excited to step into this new chapter as chief conductor of the extraordinary BBC SSO. Behind their phenomenal playing is a group of deeply human, curious and fearless musicians, and it is exactly that spirit that makes me so excited to become part of this family.

“From our very first recording to our latest concerts together, I felt a deep connection, mutual trust and freedom in the music-making. That openness, imagination and shared commitment feel like the perfect recipe for creating powerful musical experiences that truly stay with our audiences, in Scotland and far beyond.”

Across his career, Hermus has championed “outside-the-box” projects. He brought the work of avant garde Hungarian composer György Ligeti to over 8,000 festivalgoers at Holland’s adventurous outdoor cultural event Lowlands, presented Mahler and Stravinsky through Symphonic Cinema at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and initiated the award-winning Scratch concerts, bringing amateur voices onto the stage with a professional orchestra and led Tweetfonie - 52 world premieres in a single day - during his residency at the International Kurt Weill Festival in Germany.

Last week, he returned to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and this season’s highlights also included the Danish National Symphony, Barcelona Symphony and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, with Montreal Symphony and Helsinki Philharmonic coming up.

Meanwhile, as principal guest conductor of Opera North, he led the company’s 2025 production of Simon Boccanegra in London winning a Sky Arts Award, and earlier this season made his debut with Finnish National Opera with Hansel and Gretel.

Dominic Parker, director of BBC SSO, said: “Antony brings a palpable sense of energy and deep musical insight to every project. From Glasgow to Inverness, audiences have already had a taste of the electric atmosphere he creates in concert.

“From the very first collaboration almost seven years ago, he has shown a natural affinity with our musicians and there’s plenty to look forward to in this new chapter, with musical adventures on and off the beaten track.”

Outgoing chief conductor Ryan Wigglesworth said it had been an “immense privilege” to serve in the role.

He said: “I send my warmest congratulations to Antony and wish him and the orchestra every possible success in their partnership over the years ahead.

“Stepping down in order to dedicate more time to other projects was always going to be an extremely difficult decision, but I feel very fortunate to have so many exciting collaborations with the BBC SSO still on the horizon.”