Soundbites

Extra Oramo

Sakari Oramo is to remain as chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra until at least 2026. The Finn, who has been with the ensemble since 2013 and has conducted the Last Night of the Proms on five occasions, says he is ‘very happy and beyond excited’ to have extended his contract, adding that

‘on the musical, artistic and human level, I couldn’t imagine any better environment than this musical family’.

Would Pekka…?

Another Finn to have recently signed on the dotted line is the violinist Pekka Kuusisto, who has been announced as the new principal guest conductor and artistic co-director of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra from the beginning of the 2023/24 season. This is the first official conducting post for Kuusisto, 45, who is highly regarded for his creative and imaginative approach as a performer.

Tchaikovsky dumped

The International Tchaikovsky Competition has been expelled from the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC) in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The multi-instrumental competition, whose list of past winners includes pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy, violinist Gidon Kremer and soprano Deborah Voigt, enjoys strong support from Vladimir Putin, a statement from whom appears on the front page of its website.

Doleful note

The restoration of a church in Sunderland has unearthed a note written by an orphaned choirboy written 125 years ago. In the note, dated 11 August 1897 and found stuffed down the side of a pew, 13-year-old William Elliot asks that ‘whoever you are that finds this paper don’t tear it up or throw it away… keep it in remembrance of me.’