AUGUST was one of the most important months in the musical calendar for the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra as it took to the stage of the Royal Albert Hall for the 2013 BBC Proms. Kirill Karabits, Principal Conductor shares the experience in his monthly column in the Daily Echo.

AUGUST 14 marked one of the most important dates for the BSO this year as we played in front of a national audience of more than 5,000 promenaders at the BBC Proms in London.

We performed three pieces: the Czech composer Janácek’s Sinfonietta, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 3 in D major.

It was my third Prom and the occasion was no less exciting than the previous two. The Proms is the place where the orchestra comes to present its achievements over the past two years.

The build-up to the performance culminates in two days of intensive rehearsals in Poole – the second of which the orchestra plays the full programme in front of a live audience.

The BSO has a big following – and when we set off for the Proms we are accompanied by members, our executives, support staff and our many, many followers, all of whom come to this amazing place- the Royal Albert Hall – to see their orchestra represent our region at the Proms.

The occasion is thrilling and the setting is spectacular – for example, you have 26 brass players on risers that create a wall of brass and we perform in front of an enthusiastic but demanding mass audience, plus the critics and the media. The pressure is extremely high, but I try not to worry about it.

Immediately after the Proms on August 15, I flew to Gdansk in Poland for the start of a fascinating project to begin rehearsing with the youth orchestra I, Culture. The project was initiated by the Polish cultural Institution when Poland had presidency of the EU. It brings together young musicians from seven countries of Eastern Europe – including my own native Ukraine – auditioned and chosen by tutors who are internationally famous musicians in their own right.

I spent ten days residency in Gdansk before beginning a further ten days touring Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Lithuania, ending up in Kiev in September.

I am particularly interested in youth orchestra. It is very exciting to work with young musicians as they don’t impose limits on themselves: where we go, they don’t follow and they don’t follow the rules. So, this project linked to Eastern Europe is very special to me and it is very exciting to go back to perform in my home town.

n Kirill returns to the UK as the BSO launches its new season in October with a glittering array of musical treats on offer to suit every taste. 2013 marks the BSO’s 120th consecutive year of bringing live music to the South and South West of England The BSO will play more than 40 different programmes at venues across the South and South West, reaching 5,000 concert-goers each week.

More than 35 concerts in total will be performed at Lighthouse, Poole and Bournemouth Pavilion.

The season opens at Poole on October 2 with Wagner 200, a celebration of the composer’s bicentenary, which also includes a performance by Valentina Lisitsa of Rachmaninov’s fiendishly-demanding Piano Concerto No 3.