Page 470 - Guildhall Coverage Book 2020-21

19 March 2021

Portuguese Dinis Sousa nominated Principal

Conductor of Royal Northern Symphony

Portuguese conductor Dinis Sousa has been named Principal Conductor of the Royal
Northern Symphony (RNS), the only full-time chamber orchestra based at the Sage
Gateshead cultural center in Newcastle, northern England, announced the institution.

The appointment is a reflection of the optimism in the UK that the worst of the covid-19
pandemic is over, and also the ambition of Sage Gateshead in the North East region of
England, where the British Government is directing a lot of investment towards the local
economy.

“At this time, when communities in the Northeast will need music and the arts more than
ever, Sage Gateshead wants to respond in a meaningful way, bringing music's vital role
in improving health and well-being, education and training, and creation of positive
common experiences to benefit the entire region”, he justifies in a statement.

Dinis Sousa, 32, was recruited to streamline music activity in this community, working
alongside RNS musicians to reach new audiences in schools, over the Internet, across
the region and in Sage Gateshead concert halls.

The Portuguese was “honored” and “enthusiastic” with the challenge of leading an
orchestra that he heard for the first time in Porto, where he comes from, and which he
directed in January and November 2020.