BBC Concert Orchestra Names New Principal Guest Conductor

Edwin Outwater will step into the role from September 2024

The American conductor Edwin Outwater has been named the new Principal Guest Conductor and Curator of the BBC Concert Orchestra. He will take up the position on September 1, 2024, and will work alongside Director Matthew Swann and Chief Conductor Anna-Maria Helsing to present concerts, community, and education programs.

After making his debut with the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2022, Outwater returned in 2023 to lead their Northern Soul Prom. The latter sold out the Royal Albert Hall, was the most-watched program on BBC Two the night it was broadcast, and has been played more than a million times on BBC iPlayer.

Outwater is presently Music Director at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he oversees ensembles as well as shapes the artistic initiatives of the institution as a whole. He is also the Music Director Laureate of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, having led the orchestra between 2007 and 2017.

He has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and the New World Symphony.

"I am thrilled to join the BBC Concert Orchestra team," Outwater said. "Our work together so far has covered quite a lot of musical ground, and it all has been an absolute joy. I love that this orchestra both understands the importance of our great traditions, and enthusiastically embraces the possibilities of what an orchestra can be in contemporary culture. My career has followed a similar path, and I can’t wait to see what we create together in the years ahead."

"After collaborating with Edwin on various projects in recent years, it is a delight for all of us at the BBC Concert Orchestra to now welcome him as our Principal Guest Conductor and Curator," said Matthew Swann, the Director of the BBC Concert Orchestra. "As we continue to deliver exciting, relevant and impactful performances around the UK, at the BBC Proms and beyond, Edwin’s dynamism, versatile creativity and innovative approach as a conductor make him a brilliant fit for the BBC Concert Orchestra."

"Reflecting on his outstanding ability to bring different genres together, Edwin’s upcoming concerts with us include the BBC Proms and the London Jazz Festival."