The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) has extended Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann’s contract until the end of the 2028–29 season. Now in her fourth year, Stutzmann’s tenure has included a complete Beethoven symphony cycle, the ASO’s first domestic tour in over a decade, and a critically acclaimed Dvořák recording on Warner Classics.
Polina Lebedieva will become Assistant Conductor of Ensemble Intercontemporain from January 2026; her two-year term will see her working under the direction of Pierre Bleuse. A Britten Pears Young Artist and Askonas Holt Fellow, Lebedieva was a semi-finalist at the Mahler and Rotterdam conducting competitions and two-time laureate of the Prix Fabuleuse Signature.
Riccardo Frizza has extended his partnership with the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Art Groups for three further seasons, assuming the title of Honorary Conductor. Frizza, who has been its Chief Conductor since 2022, is also Artistic and Music Director of the Donizetti Festival.
John Storgårds has been appointed Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie from the 2026–27 season, following his successful 2024 tour with the orchestra.
His tenure begins with an autumn 2026 tour and a 2027 chamber project.
Rei Hotoda has been appointed Music Director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic from July 2026 for an initial four-year term. The orchestra began its search in 2024, but the expected two-year process ended early after Hotoda’s May 2025 appearance, during which she conducted from both the podium and the keyboard, demonstrating exceptional chemistry with the musicians, board and audience. She returns in May 2026 as Music Director Designate for a programme featuring Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and Kevin Day’s Manhattan Nights. A champion of contemporary American composers, Hotoda has led major US orchestras including Chicago, Dallas, St. Louis, Detroit, San Diego and the American Composers Orchestra, and serves on the Board of the League of American Orchestras. She will continue as Music Director of the Fresno Philharmonic.
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla has been named Principal Guest Conductor of Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France from September 2026. Since her debut in April 2021, she has collaborated on ambitious projects highlighting composers such as Weinberg, Walton, Šerkšnytė and Čiurlionis, and worked closely with artists including Daniil Trifonov, Gidon Kremer and Patricia Kopatchinskaja.
Roberto González-Monjas has renewed his contract as Chief Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia (OSG) until 2029. Since 2023, his leadership has driven artistic expansion, distinctive programming and a rising profile ahead of the OSG’s 2026 UK tour. González-Monjas is currently Chief Conductor of the Musikkollegium Winterthur in Switzerland (since August 2021) and the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg (since September 2024), and Artistic Director of Iberacademy in Colombia.
Lucie Leguay has been appointed Music Director of Sinfonietta Lausanne from September 2026 for an initial three-season term, succeeding David Reiland. This season she joins the orchestra in programmes including Brahms’s Symphony No. 3, Ravel’s Pavane and Owen’s Nocturne; she also makes her North American debut with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal.
