The Czech Philharmonic has announced that Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša will become its next Chief Conductor and Music Director from September 2028, following Semyon Bychkov’s decade-long tenure. aSymphony (until 2029) and incoming Music Director of The Royal Opera, Covent Garden, has been Principal Guest Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic since 2018 and has led over 120 performances with the orchestra. His initial five-year term is supported by a major gift from philanthropist Renáta Kellnerová and marks a significant homecoming for the Czech-born conductor, long celebrated for his interpretations of Czech repertoire. He will continue recording with the orchestra and will appear regularly throughout the transition period, including a 2026 concert series featuring works by Josef Suk and Benjamin Britten.
Jonathan Bloxham has been appointed Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the London Mozart Players (LMP) from the 2025–26 season, following three successful years as Conductor-in-Residence and Artistic Advisor. Under his leadership, LMP has launched a flagship series at St Martin in the Fields, expanded touring in the UK and abroad, and developed major community events in Croydon. Highlights of the 2025–26 season include a 150th anniversary celebration of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor at Fairfield Halls, and world premieres of commissions by Anna Clyne, Stephen McNeff, Tunde Jegede and Ryan Morgan. Bloxham is also Music Director of Luzerner Theater and Chief Conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie.
David Finckel and Wu Han will conclude their tenure as Artistic Directors of Music@Menlo following the 2026 summer season. As founding Artistic Directors, they have shaped the festival, launched in 2003, into a leading international chamber music institution. They will be succeeded by cellist Dmitri Atapine and pianist Hyeyeon Park, who will assume the role beginning with the 2027 season, coinciding with Music@Menlo’s 25th anniversary. Longtime artists with the festival since 2009, Atapine and Park have directed the Smith Family Young Performers Program since 2020. They also serve as Artistic Directors of The Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City, founders of Apex Concerts in Reno, and are tenured professors at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Simon Rivard has been appointed Music Director of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra (NSO). He succeeds Marc David, who stepped down at the end of the 2024–25 season after 33 years in the role. Rivard was selected following an 18-month search and brings a wealth of experience from roles including Music Director of Edmonton Opera (since 2023) and Resident Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (2018–2022). He has led orchestras across North America and Europe, including Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, and regularly collaborates with major artists including Barbara Hannigan and Kerson Leong. His first season with the NSO will include Haydn’s Creation, part of an ambitious programme aimed at expanding the orchestra’s reach and
artistic profile.
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) has named André de Ridder as its next Music Director, beginning in 2027. Known for his stylistic range and bold programming, de Ridder will become the first permanent Music Director since Edo de Waart’s tenure ended in 2019. The German-born conductor made his NZSO debut in 2023 with an acclaimed three-concert festival and is currently Generalmusikdirektor of Theater Freiburg and incoming Music Director of English National Opera. Celebrated New Zealand conductor Gemma New, who has served as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor since 2022, will continue her close relationship with the orchestra in the role of Artistic Partner from 2027. Her tenure to date has seen sold-out performances and widespread critical acclaim, including lauded interpretations of Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 and Holst’s The Planets. De Ridder returns to New Zealand in August 2025 for another festival with the NZSO, conducting music by Stravinsky, Dukas and Mussorgsky, and collaborating with Oscar-winner Bret McKenzie and tāonga puoro artist Jerome Kavanagh Poutama.
The Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne (OCL) has extended Renaud Capuçon’s tenure as Artistic Director through to the end of the 2028–29 season. This marks a second contract extension for the French violinist and conductor, who has led the ensemble since 2021. Under his direction, the OCL has expanded its international touring presence, released a series of acclaimed recordings, and strengthened collaborations with leading artists.
Peter Whelan has been appointed Music Director of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale from the 2026–27 season following a year as Music Director Designate. An acclaimed conductor, harpsichordist and Olivier Award winner, Whelan becomes the ensemble’s fourth Music Director, succeeding Richard Egarr. He will lead an initial three-year term, shaping core programming and key initiatives including the ensemble’s SESSIONS series and its Jews & Music project. Whelan’s appointment follows a critically acclaimed debut with the orchestra in March 2025, conducting Handel’s Alceste. He is currently Artistic Director of the Irish Baroque Orchestra, Curator for Early Music at the Norwegian Wind Ensemble and an artistic partner with Irish National Opera.
Toronto-born conductor Nicholas Sharma will return home to take up the dual post of RBC Resident Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) and Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra (TSYO), beginning in the 2025–26 season. Sharma succeeds Trevor Wilson and will serve in the role until the end of the 2026–27 season. As RBC Resident Conductor, he will work closely with Music Director Gustavo Gimeno, conduct select performances, including Dvořák Symphony
No. 7 and The Composer is Dead, support mainstage programming, and join the orchestra on tours.
