News and Press

Following an emergency Board meeting and further dialogue with Charles Dutoit, the RPO and Charles Dutoit have together decided to bring forward his resignation from his role as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor. Charles Dutoit had already announced in June 2017 that he would stand down in October 2019; this will now take place with immediate effect.

We are delighted to welcome Anna Stuart as our new No. 9 Cello.

Anna began learning the cello at age 7 and went on to attend Junior Academy, where she was a pupil of Penelope Lynex and Ben Davies. At 18, having tried out a number of other instruments with varying success, she decided to make a go of it with the cello and auditioned for the BMus(Hons) course at the RNCM in Manchester, from which she graduated in 2008 under the tutelage of Emma Ferrand. Following a year-long internship in orchestral management, Anna then moved to Düsseldorf to join the class of Gregor Horsch at the Robert Schumann Hochschule, completing her MMus in Orchestral Performance in 2013.

Following media allegations of inappropriate conduct by Charles Dutoit, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) and Charles Dutoit have jointly agreed to release him from his forthcoming concert obligations with the Orchestra for the immediate future.

As a leading international ensemble, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is committed to the highest standards of ethical behaviour, which it expects from everyone that works with the RPO. The Orchestra takes very seriously its responsibility to maintain a safe working environment for all its artists, musicians and staff.