SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Syracuse Orchestra announced on Thursday that Austin Chanu will be their new music director. The selection was made after 2 years of searching and interviewing several finalists by both the board of directors and the musicians. Members of the public also got to weigh in on the search, which didn’t just rely on talent.
“From the beginning we knew this process was going to be about more than artistic excellence alone,” said Martha Sutter, the Senior Associate Dean of Syracuse University’s Setnor School of Music. “We were searching for someone who could lead with vision, inspire our musicians, engage our community and help shape the next era of the Syracuse Orchestra.”
Originally from the San Francisco Bay area, Chanu made his 2025-2026 debut with the Syracuse Orchestra and has conducted orchestras all over the globe. This includes the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra in Georgia and more recently, as the assistant conductor for the Philadelphia Orchestra, where he made his subscription debut with Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring in Apr. 2023.
Chanu studied conducting at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester and studied music composition at USC Thornton School of Music, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. According to Chanu, he admired the Syracuse Orchestra’s leadership model.
“What drew me to the Syracuse Orchestra is the musician-led cooperative model where the musicians are part of the leadership,” said Chanu. “Everyone in the organization, the staff, the Board and the musicians are all invested in the growth of the orchestra.”
Chanu’s most recent concert with the Syracuse Orchestra was the Apr. 11 Shostakovich, Still & Gershwin concert at the Oncenter, celebrating Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1’s 100th anniversary with elements of folk music and jazz.
Chanu will officially take over the role of music director on July 6 from outgoing Music Director Lawrence Loh who was in the role for the past 10 years.
For Chanu’s first concert as the music director, he will be conducting the Ravel & Stravinsky’s Firebird concert on Oct. 17, 2026 at the Oncenter.
Tickets will be available for purchase online at the Syracuse Orchestra’s website.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source cnycentral.com ’
