Antony Hermus appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra from September 2027
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO) today announces the appointment of Antony Hermus as its next Chief Conductor, beginning in September 2027. He will succeed Ryan Wigglesworth following his fifth season in the role.
Hermus completes his tenure as Chief Conductor of the Belgian National Orchestra this summer to become Conductor Laureate for the 26/27 season. Together this season they performed in their main series at BOZAR in Brussels, gave an extensive Korean tour, and accompanied the Finals of the Queen Elisabeth Competition (broadcast live across the world). Last week Hermus 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.
Hermus has also conducted extensively in opera houses across Europe. 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.
Antony Hermus, BBC SSO Chief Conductor Designate, says: “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.”
Hermus has forged a close artistic relationship with the BBC SSO since making his debut in 2018, bringing his infectious enthusiasm to characteristically imaginative concerts. His debut BBC SSO programme, spanning Romantic repertoire, opera and contemporary music, paired Ligeti’s avant-garde Mysteries of the Macabre with a 70-minute distillation of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, drawing praise for how he “steered the huge orchestra… with masterful clarity” (The Herald).
This autumn, Hermus leads the BBC SSO in performances of Mahler’s Tenth Symphony across Glasgow (8 Oct) and Perth (9 Oct), pairing it with a haunting meditation on loss, Mahler, and mortality by fellow Dutch composer Willem Jeths.
Director of BBC SSO, Dominic Parker, says: “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.”
Across his career, Hermus has championed outside-the-box projects. He brought Ligeti to over 8,000 festivalgoers at Holland’s adventurous outdoor cultural event Lowlands with the North Netherlands Orchestra (of which he is Honorary Conductor for Life), presented Mahler and Stravinsky through Symphonic Cinema at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, 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.
Hermus is passionately committed to nurturing the next generation of young musicians; he is Visiting Professor at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and at the ‘National Master of Orchestral Conducting’ programme, and teaches regularly at Sibelius Academy and Royal Northern College of Music where he was made a Fellow in 2025 in acknowledgement of his contribution to musical life in the North of England. He is also Artistic Advisor of the National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands.
Director of BBC Scotland, Hayley Valentine, says: “Scottish audiences have already responded warmly to Antony’s inspiring musicianship and charisma. His international career is distinguished by an imaginative and boundary-pushing body of work. I look forward to welcoming him to Scotland.”
Ryan Wigglesworth, BBC SSO Chief Conductor, says: “It has been an immense privilege to serve as the BBC SSO’s Chief Conductor, and I thank all my wonderful colleagues for their support, commitment and remarkable musicianship throughout these past seasons. 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.”
Ryan Wigglesworth Chief Conductor
Antony Hermus Chief Conductor Designate
Delyana Lazarova Principal Guest Conductor
Ilan Volkov Creative Partner
Hans Abrahamsen Composer-in-Association
Sir Donald Runnicles Conductor Emeritus
