Orchestra : Orchestra de la Suisse Romande
Conductor : Kirill Karabits
© Niels Ackermann
Founded in 1918 by Ernest Ansermet, who was its principal conductor until 1967, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR) is made up of 112 permanent musicians. It gives subscription concerts in Geneva and Lausanne, symphonic programmes for the City of Geneva, the annual United Nations Day concert and accompanies operatic performances at the Grand Théâtre of Geneva. Over the decades, the OSR has built up an international repu-tation thanks to its historic recordings and its interpretation of the 20th-century repertories.
The British conductor Jonathan Nott has served as the OSR’s Music and Artistic Director since January 2017, following in the steps of the OSR’s founding head and successive music directors: Paul Kletzki, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Horst Stein, Armin Jordan, Fabio Luisi, Pinchas Steinberg, Marek Janowski, Neeme Järvi, and its principal guest conductor Kazuki Yamada. Daniel Harding is currently Conductor in Residence.
©︎ Ugo Ponte
Kirill Karabits has been Chief Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for 14 years and their relationship has been celebrated worldwide. Together they have made many critically acclaimed recordings, performed regularly at the BBC Proms and appeared together at London’s Barbican Centre as part of the Beethoven celebrations in the 19-20 season.
Karabits has worked with many of the leading ensembles of Europe, Asia and North America, including the Cleveland, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Chicago Symphony orchestras, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Philharmonia Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Filarmonica del Teatro La Fenice and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Recent highlights include Kirill’s debuts with the Dallas Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, and the Prague Radio Symphony, among others. Highlights of the 2022-23 season include Kirill’s return to the English National Opera for a production of “Die tote Stadt”, to Opernhaus Zürich for “La Boheme”, and to The Grange Festival for “Così fan tutte”.
A prolific opera conductor, Karabits has worked with the Deutsche Oper, Opernhaus Zürich and Oper Stuttgart, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Staatsoper Hamburg, English National Opera, Bolshoi Theatre and the Wagner Geneva Festival in celebration of the composer’s anniversary. Music Director of the Deutsches Nationaltheatre Weimar from 2016-19, Karabits conducted acclaimed productions of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Tannhäuser as well as Mozart's DaPonte Cycle.
Working with the next generation of bright musicians is of great importance to Karabits and as Artistic Director of I, CULTURE Orchestra he conducted them on their European tour. In 2012 and 2014 he conducted the televised finals of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Award), and has recently debuted with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain on a UK tour.
Kirill was named Conductor of the Year at the 2013 Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards.
