Music-making and live performance lies at the heart of everything we do at the BSO.

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Rachmaninov First and Last

Rachmaninov First and Last

Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky Wednesday 19 April 2023, 7.30pm
Lighthouse, Poole

The BSO is joined by conductor Gabor Kali and Marie-Ange Nguci for a concert of music by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov including his lively Symphonic Dances.

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We strive to be the model of a 21st century orchestra, enhancing lives through the power of music.

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Mark Wigglesworth

Mark Wigglesworth

Principal Guest Conductor

BSO Principal Guest Conductor Mark Wigglesworth

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The BSO Participate team work with the youngest and oldest members of communities across the South West, bringing music into the heart of everyday life.

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The BSO, as a registered charity, aims to bring the thrill of live music to audiences and communities.

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Our history

From humble beginnings to musical success, we have has grown from thirty uniform-wearing players in 1893 into the Orchestra that now covers 10,000 square miles in over 200 locations every year.

Early Days

On Monday 22 May 1893, Dan Godfrey took to the podium in the famous glass Winter Gardens to direct the Municipal Orchestra. This venue would become their home for the next thirty-five years and see the group grow from thirty uniformed players into a fully salaried symphony orchestra, following the integration of wind and strings. By 1898 a season of sixty symphonic concerts was launched, with British composers such as Stanford invited to conduct works like his Irish Symphony, earning Dan Godfrey praise as a champion of British music.

History

End of an Era

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New Beginnings

USSR to USA

A New Century

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