A round-up of recent news.

BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra has announced Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska  (pictured above) as its new Principal Guest Conductor, a position that has been vacant since 2006. 

Stasevska made her debut at the BBCSO during its 2017/18 season. She has a particular interest in both opera and collaboration with artists from other genres.  Commenting on her appointment, Stasevska said:

From when we first met in May 2018 at a Maida Vale studio concert, I felt directly a mutual connection with the musicians.  The BBC SO is a very inspiring, energetic orchestra with a huge range of colours in its sound, and I am looking forward to working together over the next few years, exploring a wide range of music.

Visit www.bbc.co.uk.

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Music Generation
Two new Music Generation Music Development Officers have been appointed: Mairéad Duffy for Music Generation Cavan/Monaghan and Laurie Barrett for Music Generation Mayo. 

Duffy is a vocal coach and musical director, and a former chair of Teachers of Singing in Ireland. She has performed with the Belfast Harp Orchestra and the Senior Choir of St Patrick’s Academy, and was a winner of the Nancy Calthorpe Memorial Prize for Irish Harp and Voice at the Feis Ceoil. 

Barrett has been working as a brass instrument tutor with Music Generation since 2015, and is bandmaster for the Foxford Brass and Reed Band. She studied trumpet performance at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in the US and conducting at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin. 

In their roles as Music Development Officers, Duffy and Barrett will be developing music education programmes in their areas. 

Visit www.musicgeneration.ie.

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Arts Council England
Arts Council England has appointed Tonya Nelson as Director, Arts Technology and Innovation, where she will develop Arts Council policy supporting the adoption of new technologies in the cultural sector. 

Nelson was formerly the Director of Museums and Cultural Programmes at University College London, and is a trustee of the National Gallery, and Chair of the UK International Council of Museums. She has led projects exploring 3D printing, augmented reality and gesture recognition in museums, and co-authored a paper in 2018 titled ‘Culture is Digital’ for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.  

Visit www.artscouncil.org.uk.

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Galway 2020
Galway 2020 has announced film and theatre producer Arthur Lappin as Chair. Involved in the initial City of Culture bid, Lappin was appointed to the board in December last year. He has produced 16 feature films and 20 stage productions, as well as TV series and documentaries.

Speaking of his appointment, Lappin said:

I am excited about the opportunity that Galway 2020 presents, now is the time for us all to stoke the flames of public enthusiasm for, and business engagement with, Galway 2020. Together, we will generate waves of excitement and brilliance to demonstrate that Galway is indeed the capital of culture. 

Galway 2020 has also recently announced UK company Artichoke as the organisation to deliver the Creative Director role, under the leadership of Helen Marriage. Artichoke, who produce large-scale events such as the Lumiere light festivals, will also support a fundraising drive and provide consultancy on audience development as part of the role.

Visit www.galway2020.ie.

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Dunedin Consort
Dunedin Consort have announced the appointment of writer and arts manager Jo Buckley as Chief Executive beginning in March 2019. Buckley has been Head of Artistic Planning at Dunedin Consort since 2018, has worked with Britten Sinfonia, Northern Sinfornia, New Music Scotland and Delphian Records, and is a freelance writer of programme notes. 

The appointment comes after the announcement that the current Chief Executive, Alfonso Leal del Ojo, has been appointed to the same role at The English Concert. 

Visit www.dunedin-consort.org.uk.

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Ulster Orchestra
Daniele Rustioni was announced as the new Chief Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra during the Association of British Orchestras’ annual conference. The Italian conductor is known especially for his work with opera, having been Principal Conductor of Principal Conductor of Opéra National de Lyon since 2017, as well as working with Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera House and the Metropolitan Opera. He will succeed Rafael Payare in September 2019.  

For more, see here.

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Association of Irish Composers
Sebastian Adams, composer and director of Kirkos Ensemble, has been appointed the new Coordinator of the Association of Irish Composers, succeeding Muireann Ní Dhubhghaill. 

Visit www.composers.ie.

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Southbank Centre
Sitar player Anoushka Shankar has been announced as the Southbank Centre Associate Artist for the 2019/20 Season, as part of the venue’s celebration of Ravi Shankar’s centenary in 2020. 

Visit www.southbankcentre.co.uk. 

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For other recent appointments in music, including Wexford Festival Opera, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and more, see www.journalofmusic.com/news/new-appointments-music.