Overview

• He will begin as the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s creative director in 2026–27, conducting four weeks next season and at least six weeks annually thereafter under a five-year term.
• Salonen has also been named creativity and innovation chair at the Philharmonie de Paris and principal conductor of the Orchestre de Paris, with an eight-week residency in Paris.
• The linked roles will drive joint festivals, tours, commissions, immersive media projects and a new Salonen International Conducting Fellowship.
• The L.A. Phil position is endowed by Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen, with the gift not disclosed but reported as being in the 10 figures, and it marks the first major initiative by new CEO Kim Noltemy.
• After exiting the San Francisco Symphony over artistic and financial disagreements, Salonen said the new model lets him avoid music-director administrative burdens while doing more than guest appearances.