Conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen will assume two new artistic leadership roles on both sides of the Atlantic.
From the 2026–27 season, he will become the Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen Creative Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil), and in 2027–28 with his appointment as Creativity and Innovation Chair of the Philharmonie de Paris and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre de Paris. The bespoke five-year roles will see him shape artistic strategy, advise on commissions and residencies, and curate major projects across both institutions.
In Los Angeles, Salonen will lead six weeks of concerts each season, while in Paris he will conduct a minimum of eight weeks with the Orchestre de Paris. He will also continue his pioneering work with media and technology, including an immersive project jointly developed by the two orchestras. His plans include new commissions pairing choreographers and composers, beginning with Benjamin Millepied and Gabriella Smith. He will also lead an international festival linking Paris and Los Angeles. As part of this new partnership, the LA Phil and Philharmonie de Paris will launch a new Salonen International Conducting Fellowship, joining Salonen’s existing work with conducting fellowships such as the Negaunee Conducting Program at the Colburn School and the Philharmonia’s Salonen Conducting Fellows scheme.
“Over the course of my career, I am lucky to have found myself in many situations where the right parts have been in the right place to create genuine magic. More often than not, that place happened to be Los Angeles or Paris,” Salonen said. “These are top-notch orchestras and the coolest halls, embedded within cities with the most curious and adventurous audiences. I cannot wait to start
creating together.”
Salonen, who is Conductor Laureate of the LA Phil, Philharmonia Orchestra and Swedish Radio Symphony, was Music Director of the LA Phil from 1992 to 2009. During that tenure he worked with Ernest Fleischmann and Deborah Borda to transform the orchestra into one of the most forward-thinking and well-attended in America, commissioning a record number of new works and partnering with Frank Gehry on the design of Walt Disney Concert Hall. He returns to the LA Phil this season for two programmes with Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Igor Levit, and in 2026 he will direct the Ojai Music Festival with the LA Phil New Music Group.
In Paris, where his relationship with the Orchestre de Paris spans nearly 40 years, Salonen will build on acclaimed collaborations across opera and dance. He begins the 2025–26 season with the orchestra on tour, centred on the premiere of his new Horn Concerto, written for Stefan Dohr. Following its world premiere at the Lucerne Festival and performances in Berlin and Hamburg, the work will travel to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Filarmonica della Scala, and Hong Kong Philharmonic. A close friend of Pierre Boulez, he has long shared his late colleague’s vision for the future of music. This commitment was recognised by his award of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France’s highest cultural honour.
