After ten years as chief executive of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Dougie Scarfe remains very much a man on a mission.

A mission to bring remarkable music to as many different audiences as possible and keep people connected in the most challenging of times.

The 2022 autumn series of concerts marks an eventful decade at the helm, a decade of high and lows but one that ends with the orchestra ready to face anything that comes its way.

“I think my biggest reflection over the ten years has been just how powerful music can be as a force for good, bringing people and communities together especially in difficult times like the pandemic,” Mr Scarfe said.

He came from Opera North to take up the post at the globally renowned institution, established way back in 1893.

“When I arrived I don’t think I fully appreciated what the organisation meant. Of course I had read about the history and all the famous conductors like Silvestri, Berglund and Marin Alsop.

“But it’s a living history and I don’t believe it’s possible to really, really understand the impact it has on people’s lives across 10,000 square miles unless and until you absolutely live it.

"I probably didn’t realise just how much of a honour it would be to do this job.”

“Music has an incredible capacity to bring joy not just to the audiences but to the musicians. It can reach into the soul like nothing else, it can evoke almost any emotion. It is so precious.

“It brings people together for a shared experience for a moment in time and we have really been reminded of the importance of that in the past few years.”

This year has been another emotionally charged one for the BSO.

There was the overwhelming and heartfelt outpouring of love and support for chief conductor Kirill Karabits when he appeared on stage in the wake of Russia’s invasion of his homeland, Ukraine.

And the orchestra played on stage at Weymouth in September 45 minutes after it was announced the Queen had died. It meant a lot to the audience, sharing another of those 'moments in time' with the BSO.

The orchestra has many different audiences, from the Lighthouse concert hall every Wednesday to the farthest flung village hall in Cornwall, to the thousands of schoolchildren or those in the care homes and hospitals.

Mr Scarfe added: “One of things I most cherish is that we feel we are relevant to so many different communities.

“On a recent Wednesday we performed Handel’s Messiah for the first time since the pandemic and everyone was on their feet at the end cheering, then on the Saturday we did West End, Hollywood, Big Band Christmas, an entirely different audience also on their feet cheering.”

The groundbreaking live-streaming of concerts introduced in the pandemic has brought the BSO to people far and wide all over the UK and the world, enabling the musicians to stay connected then and now.

“Hundreds and hundred and hundreds of people have written to say they can’t always get to us but through the live-streams they feel in touch. They are seeing more of us than ever. More than a third of the live-stream audiences are not even in the south west.”

The live-streaming will continue of course but the emotion of the return to live performance in front of an audience post-lockdown, is something those associated with the orchestra will never forget.

There will be challenging times ahead, Mr Scarfe admits.

The cost of living and cost of doing business crises affect every part of the operation including staff, transport and venue costs.

Inflation is currently “a killer.”

But he added: “I see myself as a custodian of the orchestra, of a famous and honourable history but also of the business now, my staff, my trustees, the musicians and audiences.

“The pandemic forced us to think dynamically, flexibly and be fleet of foot, ready to face the next set of challenges.

“We know where we are going artistically and have a clear direction of travel.

“It’s going to be a tough rest of the decade but there is a need for what we do and what we bring to communities more than ever.

"There is such a strong case for what we do. We make people feel better in so many settings."

A hospital worker summed it up after one BSO visit:

He told the musicians: "What you do, you can’t put in a syringe."