Last updated August 2006
Category: Scotland
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Since Ilan Volkov's arrival as Chief Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in January 2003 he has received much critical and public acclaim.
His interpretations of the Classical and Romantic repertoire have been praised for their lucidity of texture and structure, rhythmic vitality and depth of insight.
He is also a passionate advocate of contemporary composers, and plays an important role in the orchestra's continuing commitment to new music.
Ilan Volkov has taken the BBC SSO on highly successful tours of Spain, South America and the Baltics.
In addition to conducting more than 25 concerts each season with the BBC SSO, and taking the orchestra to important UK festivals, Ilan Volkov makes frequent guest appearances with other orchestras worldwide.
In the opera house he has conducted Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin for San Francisco Opera (2004) and in the summer of 2006 he conducted Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream at Glyndebourne Festival Opera.
Born in Israel in 1976, Ilan Volkov was appointed Young Conductor in Association to the Newcastle-based Northern Sinfonia at the age of 19.
In 1997 he became Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and two years later was invited by Seiji Ozawa to join the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Conductor.
When appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra he became the youngest person to hold such a position with a BBC orchestra.
