THINGS you probably didn't know about Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conductor, Frank Zielhorst. He's from the Netherlands but lives in Poole, he has a pre-show ritual of eating pineapple and he rides a Dutch style bike to work.

The charismatic 30-year old has a key role at the BSO and last year became the Leverhulme Young Conductor in Association. Sunday afternoon will see him conduct the programme Hall of Fame and launch the orchestra's Bournemouth season at the Pavilion theatre.

“We try to do something different for Bournemouth, as the Pavilion has a slightly different atmosphere than the Lighthouse in Poole. There's an intimacy and I very much like the red velvet on the chairs and the feel to it,” says Frank.

“This Sunday we start the Bournemouth concert season at 3pm with the beautifully titled, Hall of Fame. It's a very nice programme of five popular pieces with Rossini's William Tell Overture, Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.1 and after the break we have Montagues & Capulets by Prokofiev, Night on Bare Mountain by Mussorgsky and we finish off with Bolero's Ravel,” he added.

Hall of Fame will appeal to a wide audience with Prokofiev's Montagues & Capulets currently being used as the theme to BBC One's, The Apprentice.

“A lot of people will recognise the tunes. Ravel's Bolero is very famous as it was used by ice skaters Torvill & Dean at the Winter Olympics. A lot of kids will recognise A Night at Bare Mountain, as it was part of the recent BBC educational programme Ten Pieces.

“As for the William Tell Overture, it has to be one of the most recognisable pieces of classical music anywhere. They'll all very popular pieces and the orchestra love playing them. It's a lot of fun to listen to and from my point of view; I'm going to have a lot of fun.”

Since joining the BSO, Frank has become a hugely popular draw for audiences and features prominently throughout the 2015/16 season. The young conductor is also heavily involved in the orchestra's award winning education programme, BSO Participate, leading conducting master-classes in schools and mentoring youth ensembles across the south and south west.

“I work mainly in assisting our Principal Conductor Kirill Karabits and the guest conductors that come to the BSO. I do a lot of educational work, which is very important to us. The third branch of my job is to conduct concerts such as on Sunday.

“I develop my skills not only from assisting and looking at the orchestra under other conductors, but also by doing it for myself. It's the actual experience of working with a world-class orchestra and presenting myself to the world.”

The BSO Hall of Fame runs at the Pavilion theatre tomorrow at 3pm. Why not watch the full interview with Frank Zielhorst online at bournemouthecho.co.uk.

: For more information and tickets please contact bsolive.com