Matthew Halls has been named Artistic Partner of the Belgian National Orchestra for the 2026–27 season. He will conduct the season opening and closing concerts and will also lead a Stravinsky festival conducting The Rite of Spring, Pulcinella, Petrushka and Symphony of Psalms. Halls made his debut with the orchestra in November 2024 and was subsequently invited back to lead a celebration of Arvo Pärt’s 90th birthday as part of Klarafestival. He has served as Chief Conductor of Finland’s Tampere Philharmonic since 2023 and maintains an active guest conducting career with orchestras including the Dallas Symphony, Wiener Symphoniker and Bergen Philharmonic.
Thomas Adès has been appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Hallé Orchestra from September 2026 for a minimum of three seasons. The appointment follows his recent tenure as Artist-in-Residence with the orchestra, and deepens a relationship of more than 30 years, beginning when Adès was appointed Composer-in-Association in 1993, a role he held until 1999. In 1996 the Hallé premiered his These Premises Are Alarmed, commissioned for the opening of The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. In the 2026–27 season Adès will conduct three concerts in programmes of his own curation, including premieres by Gabriella Smith and Francisco Coll, and will also curate and perform in a chamber concert in March 2027.
Daniel Harding has been appointed Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from the 2027–28 season, succeeding Gustavo Dudamel, who becomes Artistic and Cultural Laureate and Founding Director and Conductor Laureate of the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA). Harding will oversee orchestral programming across Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford, conducting eight weeks in his inaugural season, rising to 12 weeks in subsequent seasons. His mandate includes the commissioning programme and the expansion of the orchestra’s international presence, with a planned international YOLA tour marking the Frank Gehry centennial in 2029. Harding takes up the role alongside his current position as Music Director of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.
Leo Hussain has been appointed Chief Conductor of the Munich Radio Orchestra from the 2027–28 season for an initial three-year term, becoming the 10th chief conductor in the orchestra’s history as it approaches its 75th anniversary in April 2027. The British conductor succeeds Ivan Repušić and joins from the Bucharest George Enescu Philharmonic, where he serves as Chief Conductor until summer 2026.
Stéphane Denève has had his contract as Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra renewed for a further four years through the 2030–31 season, following the success of his initial term. Denève is currently Music Director of the St Louis Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of the New World Symphony. A graduate of the Paris Conservatoire, he worked closely early in his career with Sir Georg Solti, Georges Prêtre and Seiji Ozawa.
Tugan Sokhiev has been appointed Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR) for an initial three-season term beginning in the 2026–27 season, conducting six weeks per season from 2027–28. The appointment follows a growing artistic relationship with the orchestra that began in 2024, including an acclaimed performance of Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony.
Roberto González-Monjas has been appointed the first Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestre de Paris, beginning with the 2027–28 season for an initial four-year term. His tenure will include at least three subscription programmes each season at the Philharmonie de Paris, alongside international touring and special projects. González-Monjas made his debut with the orchestra in May 2025 and returns in the 2026–27 season to open a Rachmaninov cycle. He currently holds positions as Chief Conductor of the Musikkollegium Winterthur and the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, and Music Director of the Galicia Symphony Orchestra.
Manfred Honeck has extended his contract as Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra until the end of the 2032–33 season, marking a 25-year tenure that will make him the longest-serving music director in the orchestra’s 131-year history. Honeck has led the PSO since 2008, during which time the orchestra has undertaken regular European tours, appeared four times at the Salzburg Festival, and launched the Pittsburgh Live! recording series with Reference Recordings, earning 12 GRAMMY nominations and three wins including Best Orchestral Performance. He was awarded the Medal of Honor from the Bruckner Society of America in February 2026.
Elim Chan has been appointed Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony from September 2027 for an initial six-year term, becoming the 13th music director in the orchestra’s 115-year history. She succeeds Esa-Pekka Salonen in a line of predecessors including Michael Tilson Thomas, Herbert Blomstedt and Pierre Monteux. Chan, who joins as Music Director Designate with immediate effect, was recently appointed Artistic Partner of the Vienna Symphony, and previously served as Principal Conductor of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
Francesco Lecce-Chong has signed an evergreen agreement with the Santa Rosa Symphony (SRS), securing his long-term leadership of the orchestra. Currently in his eighth season with the ensemble, Lecce-Chong will assume the expanded title of Artistic and Music Director on 1 July 2026, reflecting his growing responsibilities across artistic, educational and community engagement programming. Only the fifth Music Director in the orchestra’s 98-year history, he joined SRS in 2018 and has since led more than 100 performances across the orchestra’s concert series. The agreement coincides with a newly adopted five-year strategic plan as the orchestra approaches its centenary.
