Enrico Lopez-Yañez has been appointed Creative Director and Principal Conductor of Pops and Specials at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, in a newly created role that expands his position as Principal Conductor of Dallas Symphony Presents, which he has held since the 2023–24 season. Lopez-Yañez will shape the DSO’s non-classical programming and develop new concert experiences alongside his conducting duties. He also serves as Principal Pops Conductor for the Detroit and Pacific Symphonies and Principal Guest Conductor of Pops at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and is Co-founder of Symphonica Productions, a creative production company developing Pops, Family and Educational concerts for orchestras across North America.
Richard Egarr has been appointed Music Director of Hippocampus, the Spanish early music ensemble founded in 2000 by Madrid-born harpsichordist Alberto Martínez Molina, who continues as Artistic Director. Egarr has performed with the ensemble since its founding and takes up the role on 1 October 2026. Hippocampus is known for an ambitious Bach series in which it performed all of J.S. Bach’s sacred works at its Madrid residency between 2004 and 2012 and appears regularly on the international touring circuit. Egarr’s first engagements in the new role include the Aranjuez Early Music Festival on 31 October 2026 and an appearance at CNDM Madrid in March 2027.
Moon Doh has been appointed Assistant Conductor of the Pacific Symphony from the 2026–27 season, working closely with Artistic and Music Director Alexander Shelley and serving as Music Director of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra. Doh has served as Associate Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra since 2021, conducting subscription, education and family concerts alongside sold-out performances with artists including Sting and Laufey. He previously served as Artistic Director of the Flora Symphony Orchestra in Cologne and continues as Music Director of the Butler County Symphony Orchestra in Western Pennsylvania.
Bassem Akiki has been appointed Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw. Based in Poland for more than 20 years, Akiki has worked with many of Poland’s leading orchestras while establishing an international career spanning opera, symphonic and contemporary music. He has held music directorships at the Silesian Opera in Bytom and Wrocław Opera, heads the Conducting Department of the Academy of Music in Wrocław, and has recently made his debuts with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. His programming will focus on contemporary music, collaborations with young composers and the international profile of Polish music.
John Fiore has been appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Slovak State Philharmonic Košice with immediate effect. He made his debut with the orchestra in 2025 and will lead three subscription concerts in the 2026–27 season, featuring works by Shostakovich, Wagner, Bruckner, Beethoven and Brahms. The Swiss-American conductor has served as Music Director of the Norwegian Opera, Deutsche Oper am Rhein and the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, and is a regular guest at leading opera houses across Europe and the United States.
Lorenzo Viotti has extended his contract as Music Director of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra until the end of the 2033–34 season, following an acclaimed inaugural season. Originally appointed for three years, the contract was extended by a further five seasons following his acclaimed inaugural season, which featured works by Beethoven, Mahler, Richard Strauss and Ravel. Viotti will return to Japan up to four times per season. Viotti, who served as Music Director of the Dutch National Opera from 2021 to 2025, remains Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and becomes General Music Director of the Zurich Opera from the 2028–29 season.