Daniel Harding was named the new music director for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, it was announced Tuesday.
Harding, currently music director of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Italy, will succeed the world-renowned Gustavo Dudamel in the 2027-28 season. He was the artistic and music director of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and music director of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and following his tenure was named conductor laureate of both orchestras.
He previously served as principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra for 10 years. In 2024, he succeeded Yo-Yo Ma as leader of a Pan-Asian youth orchestra program in China.
“Making music with the magnificent LA Phil musicians is a thrill and an inspiration,” Harding said. “Over recent years, the LA Phil has developed something extraordinary that cannot be manufactured: a kind of institutional charisma. That expands the vision of what you ask when thinking about what comes next, for the orchestra, for Los Angeles, for music and for our community.
“Perhaps the hardest task in music is to take something already exceptional and to help it grow further. Inheriting an orchestra with a tradition that includes Giulini and Mehta and shaped most recently by Esa-Pekka and Gustavo is an extraordinary gift. So many great artists have found possibilities here that don’t exist anywhere else, and I come to California full of excitement for what we will discover and create together.”
Harding will oversee orchestral programming across the organization, including its presentations at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford, along with Youth Orchestra Los Angeles. Officials said he will lead the LA Phil’s ambitious commitment to commissioning new works and expanding the orchestra’s global presence through touring, media projects and new ventures for international collaboration and cultural exchange.
Harding will conduct eight weeks of programming in his inaugural 2027/28 season, increasing to 12 weeks of programming in subsequent years.
Dudamel has served as music director since 2009 and is scheduled to become music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic in September. During his tenure, he led major artistic initiatives including the Pan-American Music Initiative, commissioned dozens of new works and helped expand YOLA into multiple Los Angeles neighborhoods before opening its permanent home, the Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center.
He also led high-profile LA Phil performances at the Super Bowl, the Academy Awards and the Coachella music festival. Last week, he was appointed to the new positions of artistic and cultural laureate of the LA Phil and founding director and conductor laureate of YOLA.
“I have a deep admiration for Daniel’s artistry, and for the profound connection he has built with the musicians of the LA Phil over the years,” Dudamel said. “I’m confident that the brilliance, heart and limitless talent of this orchestra, which has inspired me for so many years, will be in good hands under his musical leadership as they build new worlds of sound together.”
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