A CELEBRATION like no other will take place in the new year as the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra sets to say goodbye to its popular chief conductor. 

The majestic and traditional Viennese New Year Gala returns to Poole Lighthouse on January 1 with a selection of celebratory polkas, waltzes and polonaises. 

Chief conductor Kirill Karabits will guide listeners eastward from the Viennese dance halls toward the colourful musical landscapes of Ukraine. 

Following a decade-long relationship, he will bow out of the orchestra in late spring ahead of a day-long musical celebration at the Southbank Centre in London on May 19. 

The chief conductor said: “I’m excited to mark the start of 2024, my final year as the BSO’s chief conductor, in the company of our supportive audiences across the region and with my friends on stage – including, the brilliant singer Ruslana Lotsman, who joins us from Ukraine.  

“We’re looking forward to uniting in the joyful music of the Viennese dance halls alongside a set of uplifting folk songs that we’ve curated especially for the occasion.” 

Kirill will take up a new role of conductor laureate and artistic director for Voices from the East from the summer of 2024.