Alex Mitchell joins as joint viola section leader, while Filipe Dandalo joins the double bass section
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra has announced the appointment of Alex Mitchell as viola section leader and Filipe Dandalo as double bass player. Mitchell and Dandalo will join the Orchestra ahead of the 2026/27 season, which begins in September.
Mitchell, a self-professed Beatles fan and lifelong Liverpool FC supporter, said ’it feels incredibly special to be joining the Orchestra in a city I already love’. He is a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music, where he won the College’s Concerto Competition and the Paganini Prize (on viola), while also performing with the Zelkova Quartet.
Internationally, he was awarded fifth prize at the Tokyo International Viola Competition and third prize at the Beethoven International Viola Competition in Hradec.
Brazilian bass player Dandalo studied at the Royal Northern College of Music with Jiří Hudec, and pursued further studies with Božo Paradžik at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg and Hochschule Luzern. He was a member of Sinfonia Smith Square (formerly Southbank Sinfonia).
Vanessa Reed, chief executive of Royal Liverpool Philharmonic said: ’It is a pleasure to welcome Alex and Filipe to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic family. Both are exceptional musicians whose artistry, experience and passion will further strengthen our Orchestra as we look ahead to an exciting new season.’
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2026–27 season opens on 4 September with a return to the BBC Proms, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The programme, led by principal guest conductor Andrew Manze, features works by Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten alongside the world premiere of a new commission by Carmel Smickersgill, winner of Liverpool Philharmonic’s Rushworth Composition Prize in 2018.
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