Live Beethoven Five Fri 19 – Sat 20 February

Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård is the Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra, as well as the Music Director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, following six seasons as their Principal Guest Conductor. Between 2012 and 2018, he served as Principal Conductor of BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW), after stepping down as Principal Conductor and Musical Advisor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra.

He has appeared with many notable orchestras in leading European centres, such as Berlin (including Berliner Philharmoniker, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Konzerthausorchester Berlin), Munich (Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunk), Zurich (Tonhalle Orchester Zurich), Leipzig (Gewandhausorchester), Paris (Orchestre National de France), London (London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, London Symphony and Philharmonia Orchestra), Amsterdam and Rotterdam (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic) and is a familiar figure in Scandinavia, with such orchestras as Oslo Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony, Danish National Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony and Helsinki Philharmonic. North American appearances to date have included the symphony orchestras of New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Baltimore, St Louis, Toronto, Atlanta, Montreal, Vancouver, Houston and Seattle. He has also made highly successful tours to China, Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

With the Minnesota Orchestra in 2025/26, Thomas leads a diverse range of programmes, including the continuation of their Nordic Composers Festival and projects with leading soloists such as Joyce DiDonato, Yo-Yo Ma & Kirill Gerstein. In addition to their Scotland series and recording projects, highlights with the RSNO include leading the closing concert of the 2025 Edinburgh International Festival and extensive tours of Europe & China. Guest conducting for this season will include returns to the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Philharmonia Orchestra, Danish National Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony & Oslo Philharmonic, alongside debuting with the Orquestra Sinfònica de Barcelona. Thomas will also sit on the jury of the 2025 London Symphony Orchestra Donatella Flick Conducting Competition.

As part of the 2015 anniversary celebrations of both Sibelius and Nielsen, he conducted a wide variety of their works with many leading orchestras. A passionate supporter of the music of Carl Nielsen, his performances with the Swedish Radio Symphony of his Symphony No. 5 was praised as “equal of the great pioneers of Nielsen interpretation… It’s hard to imagine a finer performance of this remarkable symphony.” (Dagens Nyheter); and in 2019 participated in a special concert to celebrate Nielsen’s works with the Royal Danish Academy of Music Copenhagen.

Following his acclaimed debut for Royal Danish Opera (Kafka’s Trial), he has since returned regularly to conduct a broad repertoire, including Die Walküre, which won the 2022 Reumert Award for Best Opera Production, Elektra, Le nozze di Figaro, Il barbiere di Siviglia, La bohème, Cunning Little Vixen, Il viaggio a Reims; and has also made short concert tours with the Royal Danish Orchestra. He has also enjoyed successful collaborations with Staatsoper Stuttgart, Norwegian Opera and Royal Swedish Opera. His Stockholm productions of Tosca and Turandot (both with Nina Stemme) led to his Bayerische Staatsoper debut, conducting main season and Opera Festival performances of Turandot with her and he most recently returned to for the Opera’s Akademiekonzert series. He made his Deutsche Oper Berlin debut with the world premiere of Scartazzini’s Edward II and has since returned for Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet and R.Strauss’ Elektra

His discography covers a broad range of contemporary and mainstream repertoire, including Carl Nielsen (The Royal Danish Orchestra, Naxos Records), Poul Ruders (Arhus Symphony, Norwegian Radio, Royal Danish Opera (Kafka’s Trial) for Da Capo and Bridge Records); Sibelius symphonies and tone poems with BBC NOW and Prokofiev and Richard Strauss with RSNO for Linn Records; Lutoslawski and Dutilleux concertos with ‘cellist Johannes Moser and Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin (Pentatone); and Vilde Frang’s celebrated debut recording (WDR Koln for EMI).

In October 2023, Thomas was a recipient of the Carl Nielsen and Anne-Marie Carl Nielsen’s Foundation award for his outstanding contribution to Danish musical life. In January 2022, Thomas was decorated with a prestigious Royal Order of Chivalry – the Order of Dannebrog (Ridder af Dannebrogordenen) by Her Majesty Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark.

Prizewinner at the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition and SONY Classical exclusive artist, Pablo Ferrández is hailed as a “new cello genius” (Le Figaro). A captivating performer, “Ferrández has the lot: technique, mettle, spirit, authority as a soloist, expressivity and charm” (El Pais).

Introduced by the Pittsburgh Symphony as “the next Yo-Yo Ma”, Pablo Ferrández has turned into a cello phenomenon and one of the most in-demand instrumentalists of his generation.

His debut album under SONY Classical, “Reflections”, released in 2021, was highly acclaimed by the critics and praised with the Opus Klassik Award. In Fall 2022 Pablo Ferrández released his second album, which comprised the Brahms Double Concerto, performed with Anne-Sophie Mutter, the Czech Philharmonic under M. Honeck, as well as Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio, performed with Ms. Mutter and Lambert Orkis.

“Moonlight Variations”, which includes Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations, was published on May 2025 and is Ferrández’s last release on SONY Classical, this time with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Martin Fröst and Julien Quentin as partners, also receiving rave reviews.

One of the most sought-after cellists, Pablo’s recent seasons have seen him appearing with the Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Filarmonica della Scala, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Tonhalle Orchestra, Bayersichen Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, HR-Sinfonieorchester, Konzerthaus Berlin Orchestra, NDR Elbphiharmonie Orchestra, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, Orchestra National de France, Oslo Philharmonic, Macao Symphony, Taipei Symphony and Seoul Philharmonic.

He has also toured with the London Philharmonic, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, WDR Sinfonieorchester, Antwerp Symphony, Borusan Philharmonic and the Czech Philharmonic.

Ferrández is frequently invited to international renown festivals such as Verbier, Salzburg, Dresden, Rheingau, Sion, Aix-en-Provence, Tsinandali, Tongyeong, Abu Dhabi and Dvorak Prague Festival, among others.

Highlights of the 25/26 season include the debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra (USA), Toronto Symphony, Utah Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony, SWR Sinfonieorchester, NCPA Symphony Orchestra and with the Tsinandali Festifval Symphony under Zubin Mehta. Also the returns to Boston Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Vienna Symphony, Antwerp Symphony, Festival Strings Luzern, Barcelona Symphony, Tenerife Symphony, Orquesta Filarmonica de Gran Canaria, Orquesta de la Comunitat Valenciana, and Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI.

Additionally, Pablo will be Artist-in-Residence at the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra, performing various programs with the orchestras as well as in recital.

The 25/26 also includes the Trio tour with Anne-Sophie Mutter & Y. Bronfman with concerts in Munich, Hamburg, Geneva, Zurich, Paris and Barcelona; and European tours with the European Union Youth Orchestra and V. Petrenko and with the Spanish National Symphony and D. Afhkam.

Mr. Ferrández plays the Stradivarius “Archinto” 1689, on a generous life-long loan from a member of the Stretton Society.

See Pablo Ferrández perform Lutosławski’s Cello Concerto with the RSNO on 18, 19 and 20 February 2027.