Tabita Berglund has been appointed Chief Conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, becoming the first Norwegian conductor to hold the post since 1985 and the first Norwegian woman to lead one of the country’s major symphony orchestras. She will assume the role of Chief Conductor Designate in August 2026 before taking up the full position from August 2027 until July 2031. Currently Principal Guest Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Dresden Philharmonic, Berglund succeeds Edward Gardner.
Robert Kahn has been appointed Assistant Conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for the 2026–27 season. Selected in collaboration with the Solti Foundation US, he will serve as cover conductor, lead youth concerts and work with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. A Dutch-American conductor and former Conducting Fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music, Kahn has recently worked with the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and has recently made his debut with Dutch National Opera, conducting Hannah Kendall’s The Knife of Dawn.
Paavo Järvi has been appointed Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, succeeding Edward Gardner and taking up the role at the start of the 2028–29 season on an initial five-year contract. One of the most respected and sought-after conductors of his generation, Järvi will work with the orchestra as Chief Conductor Designate in the interim, leading selected concerts and tours. His appointment marks a new chapter for the orchestra as it approaches its 2032 centenary, with Chief Executive David Burke noting that Gardner will remain an integral part of its future plans. Järvi is currently Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Artistic Director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Founder and Artistic Director of the Estonian
Festival Orchestra.
Jaime Martín has been named Music Director Laureate of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, effective from the 2027–28 season. He will continue as Music Director until the end of the 2026–27 season, concluding a tenure marked by innovative programming, new commissions and close engagement with the orchestra and its audiences.
Juanjo Mena has announced that he will step down from conducting at the end of the current season, following the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. In a personal letter addressed to colleagues and audiences, the Spanish conductor confirmed that this year’s concerts will be his last, bringing to a close an illustrious career spanning more than four decades. He will continue to appear in a number of scheduled engagements in the coming months.
Leonidas Kavakos has been appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra from the 2027–28 season, on an initial three-year contract. A long-standing collaborator with the orchestra since his debut in 1995, Kavakos first conducted the ensemble in May 2023 and has since returned regularly both as a conductor and soloist.
Leonard Slatkin has been appointed Music Director of the Nashville Symphony for a three-year term from the 2026–27 season, when he will conduct six of the 14 Classical Series concerts. Previously Music Advisor to the orchestra, Slatkin will assume artistic leadership as the ensemble marks a series of major anniversaries, including the 80th anniversary of the Nashville Symphony and the 20th anniversary of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
Jonathan Darlington has extended his tenure as Chief Conductor of the Nürnberger Symphoniker until the end of the 2031–32 season. Since taking up the post in September 2022, the British-French conductor has played a central role in developing the orchestra’s artistic profile, with the extension reflecting a shared commitment to continuity and long-term artistic growth.
Paolo Bortolameolli has been appointed Music Director of The Phoenix Symphony, becoming the 12th in the orchestra’s history. He will take up the role in the 2027–28 season following a season as Music Director Designate in 2026–27, leading selected programmes as the orchestra enters a new phase of artistic development.
Sir Simon Rattle has been named Honorary Conductor of the Staatskapelle Berlin, in recognition of his long-standing artistic collaboration with the orchestra. His 18-year relationship with the orchestra and the Staatsoper Berlin began with his debut in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande in 2008, and has included 10 opera premieres and a critically acclaimed 15-year Janáček cycle, which concluded at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden.
