In Conversation with Ammal Bhatia, LSSO Conductor in Residence

The London Schools Symphony Orchestra (LSSO) Conductor in Residence scheme is run in partnership with Guildhall Young Artists and Black Lives in Music. The residency is designed to nurture diverse talent and champion representation within the orchestra. It offers the chance for a young conductor to gain experience working with LSSO students during the orchestra’s week-long Christmas, Easter and Summer holiday courses, as well as being offered one-to-one mentoring support from professional conductors. 

Ammal Bhatia began his role as 2024/2025 LSSO Conductor in Residence back in September 2024. We caught up with him to hear how he’s finding the role, learn about the challenges he's faced as an ethnically diverse conductor and ask what made him want to apply to be the LSSO Conductor in Residence.

Could you tell us how you have found your first few months working as the LSSO Conductor in Residence? 

It has been really enjoyable. We have got some big projects coming up, so there is a lot to get involved with. Not only have I been conducting the orchestra in rehearsals, but I've also been taking sectionals and auditioning members of the orchestra as well. 

What made you want to apply to be the LSSO Conductor in Residence?

I think youth orchestras are the lifeblood of music education in this country. I was fortunate enough to have played in a couple of amazing youth orchestras as a teenager, so it feels like I’ve come full circle. You get to work with talented, dedicated young people, doing these cracking projects, where the world is your oyster. To be able to do so many different things is a great skill for a conductor to have in their toolkit. 

How are you feeling about conducting the orchestra for the first time in April?  

I’m looking forward to it. I’ve had some good conversations with the management at Guildhall, and the conductor of the main project, Christopher Warren-Green, so it is really good to have quite a lot to do for this project. I was lucky enough, in the winter, to be quite hands-on, taking rehearsal and sectionals so it’s all feeling very positive. 

What can audiences expect from the LSSO concert in April? 

There is a good mix of popular tunes, but also some newer works that might not be as well known. We are doing two pieces that are almost stapes in the classical music repertoire, Stravinsky’s Suite from The Firebird and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, which are important for young players to get under their belt and in their fingers. Both pieces, but especially Dvořák, will send audiences home whistling the tune. 

We are also doing two other pieces. One of them is Graham Fitkin’s Metal, which is a cool contemporary rhythmic piece. The other one is Reena Esmail’s Ram Tori Maya, which is an Indian piece, and part of another project that we’re doing alongside this one. 

How do you see initiatives like this from Black Lives in Music making a difference for underrepresented people in the classical music industry?

I think it is really important to create opportunities that are tailored for people from a variety of backgrounds. London, and the UK as a whole, is one of the most diverse and multicultural places in the world, therefore it is vital we have initiatives and schemes that speak and resonate with people from all backgrounds. I am also aware that the Conductor in Residence is quite a public facing role. This to me is key. Young musicians from diverse backgrounds can look and see role models that were absent in the past. One of my jobs this year was to help audition the orchestra, and I think that representation at every level and stage is a must, whether it be orchestral players, conductors, soloists, management and most crucially in the repertoire we perform.

Have you faced challenges as an ethnically diverse conductor, and do you feel the industry is changing?

I certainly do feel the industry is changing, however as is the case with most things in classical music, we’re still behind the rest of the world. Personally, I grew up with lots of support and have always found my musical circles and community welcoming. However, there are many things I was oblivious to that now when I think back, make me question the lack of representation and inclusivity. For example, the sheer lack of programmes with music by ethnically diverse and female composers, or the fact that throughout my musical education I was often the only person of colour there to name a few. I’m glad there are many fantastic conductors from a variety of backgrounds now in the circuit, such as Kevin John Edusei, Leslie Suganandarajah and many others. I’ve had the privilege of working with both Kevin and Leslie with Chineke! Orchestra, and back in May 2024 I was fortunate enough to be Assistant Conductor with Chineke!.

What practical steps do you think that music organisations could take to better support Black and ethnically diverse musicians in classical music?

Support is needed at all levels and all areas of music making. Free lessons in schools, which are targeted to diverse communities; instrument bursaries and loaning schemes, initiatives for ethnically diverse and female composers, much more research and effort put into discovering lost composers and their music and reconstructing scores (e.g. I’m ashamed to say I’d never heard of Florence Price ten years ago!), much more representation on panels, blind auditions for orchestral players (which thankfully is relatively common place in the UK, however not so much in the rest of Europe), and perhaps most of all – recognition that unfortunately discrimination in the music sector, is still present. 

What advice would you give to conductors, especially those who are underrepresented in this industry, who wish to follow in your footsteps?

Work hard, don’t ever put yourself down because of your background, help each other out. You’ll be surprised how many musicians and conductors there are out there who have a similar story to you. Music is about life, not the other way round! It should be for everyone, and we must all work together to strive for positive change.

Ammal will be conducting the London Schools Symphony Orchestra during their concert at Barbican Hall on 15 April. Tickets from £9.