Meet our Conductors

Watch interviews with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's team of conductors.

Born in Yorkshire, Ryan Wigglesworth has been the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s Chief Conductor since September 2022. He was Principal Guest Conductor of the Hallé Orchestra (2015–18), held the Daniel R. Lewis Composer Fellowship with the Cleveland Orchestra (2013–15) and has been Composer-in-Residence at English National Opera and the 2018 Grafenegg Festival. In partnership with the RAM, he founded the Knussen Chamber Orchestra, which made its Aldeburgh Festival and BBC Proms debuts in 2019.

Born in Israel, Ilan Volkov studied at London’s Royal College of Music, before securing positions as Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Appointed Principal Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in 2003, he subsequently became Principal Guest Conductor in 2009. Between 2011 to 2014 he was Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and it was in Reykjavík in 2012 that he initiated and curated the ‘Tectonics’ festival, featuring contemporary classical music combined with improvisation, electronics and rock, which has since expanded to Glasgow (with the BBC SSO), Adelaide, London, New York, Oslo and Tel Aviv.

Sir Donald Runnicles is the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s Conductor Emeritus, having held the position of Chief Conductor from 2009 until the end of August 2016. He is also General Music Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Music Director of the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson, Wyoming, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. During his time as the BBC SSO’s Chief Conductor highlights included concert-performances of Wagner’s ‘Tristan und Isolde’, a semi-staged performance of ‘Tannhäuser’ at the BBC Proms, and the Scottish Premiere in Glasgow of Sir James MacMillan’s ‘St John Passion’. In October 2020 Donald Runnicles was Knighted in HM The Queen’s Birthday Honours’ List, for Services to Music.