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List of principal conductors by orchestra
This is a non-exhaustive list of principal conductors by orchestra, principally for orchestras with pages on Wikipedia, classified by country and by city. The term 'principal conductor' is used here as an umbrella term to encompass such titles as:
- Principal conductor
- Music director
- Chief conductor
The term 'music director' is more common in the US and Canada, whereas 'principal conductor' or 'chief conductor' is more prevalent elsewhere. In German-speaking countries, the title of General Music Director (Generalmusikdirektor / Generalmusikdirektorin) is used for conductors who are the music director of multiple musical institutions in a given city, such as both a symphony orchestra and an opera house. For orchestras which simultaneously have or have had both a music director and a principal conductor, such as the Royal Northern Sinfonia and Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, the person with the title of music director is given preference by hierarchy.
Orchestras which choose not to have principal conductors, such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, are omitted from this list. Likewise, principal conductors for opera companies are omitted, unless the orchestra of that opera company performs orchestral concerts under a separate name.
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Bolivia
| City
|
Orchestra
|
Conductor
|
Nationality
|
| La Paz |
National Symphony Orchestra of Bolivia |
Weimar Arancibia |
Bolivian
|
Brazil
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
| City
|
Orchestra
|
Conductor
|
Nationality
|
| Nendeln |
Sinfonieorchester Liechtenstein |
Stefan Sanderling |
German
|
| Vaduz |
Orchester Liechtenstein-Werdenberg |
Stefan Susana |
Austrian
|
Luxembourg
Macau
Malaysia
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Paraguay
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Russia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
United Kingdom
United States
| City
|
Orchestra
|
Conductor
|
Nationality
|
| Akron, Ohio |
Akron Symphony Orchestra |
Christopher Wilkins |
American
|
| Albany, Georgia |
Albany Symphony Orchestra |
Claire Fox Hillard |
American
|
| Albany, New York |
Albany Symphony Orchestra |
David Alan Miller |
American
|
| Allentown, PA |
Allentown Symphony Orchestra |
Diane Wittry |
American
|
| Anchorage, Alaska |
Anchorage Symphony Orchestra |
Elizabeth Schulze |
American
|
| Athens, Georgia |
Athens Symphony |
Brad Maffett |
American
|
| Atlanta |
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra |
Nathalie Stutzmann |
French
|
| Baltimore |
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra |
Jonathon Heyward |
American
|
| Bellingham, WA |
Bellingham Symphony Orchestra |
Yaniv Attar |
Israeli-American
|
| Berkeley |
Berkeley Symphony Orchestra |
Joseph Young |
American
|
| Birmingham, Alabama |
Alabama Symphony Orchestra |
Carlos Izcaray |
Venezuelan
|
| Boston |
Boston Symphony Orchestra |
Andris Nelsons |
Latvian
|
| Boston |
Handel and Haydn Society |
Jonathan Cohen |
British
|
| Buffalo, New York |
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra |
JoAnn Falletta |
American
|
| Burlington, Vermont |
Vermont Symphony Orchestra |
Andrew Crust |
American
|
| Carrollton, Georgia |
Carroll Symphony Orchestra |
Terry Lowry |
American
|
| Charlotte, North Carolina |
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra |
Kwamé Ryan |
Trinidadian
|
| Chicago |
Chicago Symphony Orchestra |
Klaus Mäkelä (designate, effective 2027) |
Finnish
|
| Cincinnati |
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra |
Cristian Măcelaru (designate, effective 2025) |
Romanian
|
| Cleveland |
The Cleveland Orchestra |
Franz Welser-Möst |
Austrian
|
| Columbus, Ohio |
Columbus Symphony Orchestra |
Rossen Milanov |
Bulgarian
|
| Costa Mesa, California |
Pacific Symphony |
Carl St.Clair |
American
|
| Dallas |
Dallas Symphony Orchestra |
Fabio Luisi |
Italian
|
| Dayton |
Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra |
Neal Gittleman |
American
|
| Denver |
Colorado Symphony Orchestra |
Peter Oundjian |
British
|
| Detroit |
Detroit Symphony Orchestra |
Jader Bignamini |
Italian
|
| Durham |
Durham Symphony Orchestra |
William Curry |
American
|
| Fort Worth, Texas |
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra |
Robert Spano |
American
|
| Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
South Florida Philharmonic |
Donald Covert |
American
|
| Grand Rapids, Michigan |
Grand Rapids Symphony |
Marcelo Lehninger |
Brazilian
|
| Lawrenceville, Georgia |
Gwinnett Symphony Orchestra |
Robert Trocina |
American
|
| Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra |
Stuart Malina |
American
|
| Hartford, Connecticut |
Hartford Symphony Orchestra |
Carolyn Kuan |
American
|
| Houston |
Houston Symphony Orchestra |
Juraj Valčuha |
Slovenian
|
| Indianapolis |
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra |
Jun Märkl |
German
|
| Jacksonville, Florida |
Jacksonville Symphony |
Courtney Lewis |
British
|
| Kansas City, Missouri |
Kansas City Symphony |
Matthias Pintscher |
German
|
| Knoxville, Tennessee |
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra |
Aram Demirjian |
American
|
| Lexington, Kentucky |
Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra |
Mélisse Brunet |
French
|
| Little Rock, Arkansas |
Arkansas Symphony Orchestra |
(post vacant) |
|
| Los Angeles |
Hollywood Symphony Orchestra |
John Beal |
American
|
| Los Angeles |
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra |
Jaime Martín |
Spanish
|
| Los Angeles |
Los Angeles Philharmonic |
Gustavo Dudamel |
Venezuelan
|
| Louisville, Kentucky |
The Louisville Orchestra |
Teddy Abrams |
American
|
| Memphis, Tennessee |
Memphis Symphony Orchestra |
Robert Moody |
American
|
| Milwaukee |
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra |
Ken-David Masur |
American
|
| Minneapolis |
Minnesota Orchestra |
Thomas Søndergård |
Danish
|
| Naples, Florida |
Naples Philharmonic Orchestra |
Alexander Shelley |
British
|
| Nashville |
Nashville Symphony Orchestra |
Giancarlo Guerrero |
Costa Rican
|
| New Orleans, Louisiana |
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra |
Carlos Miguel Prieto |
Mexican
|
| New York City |
American Composers Orchestra |
(post vacant) |
|
| New York City |
The MET Orchestra |
Yannick Nézet-Séguin |
Canadian
|
| New York City |
New York Philharmonic |
Gustavo Dudamel (designate, effective 2026) |
Venezuelan
|
| New York City |
Orchestra of St. Luke's |
Bernard Labadie |
Canadian
|
| Newark, New Jersey |
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra |
Xian Zhang |
Chinese
|
| Norfolk, Virginia |
Virginia Symphony Orchestra |
Eric Jacobsen |
American
|
| Omaha |
Omaha Symphony Orchestra |
Ankush Kumar Bahl |
American
|
| Orlando |
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra |
Eric Jacobsen |
American
|
| Philadelphia |
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia |
David Hayes |
Belgian
|
| Philadelphia |
The Philadelphia Orchestra |
Yannick Nézet-Séguin |
Canadian
|
| Phoenix, Arizona |
Phoenix Symphony Orchestra |
(post vacant) |
|
| Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra |
Manfred Honeck |
Austrian
|
| Portland, Oregon |
Oregon Symphony |
David Danzmayr |
Austrian
|
| Raleigh, North Carolina |
North Carolina Symphony |
Carlos Miguel Prieto |
Mexican
|
| Reno, Nevada |
Reno Philharmonic Orchestra |
Laura Jackson |
American
|
| Richmond, Virginia |
Richmond Symphony Orchestra |
Valentina Peleggi |
Italian
|
| Rochester, New York |
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra |
Andreas Delfs |
German
|
| Rockford, Illinois |
Rockford Symphony Orchestra |
Yaniv Attar |
Israeli-American
|
| St. Louis |
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra |
Stéphane Denève |
French
|
| Salt Lake City |
Utah Symphony |
Markus Poschner (designate, effective 2027) |
German
|
| San Diego |
San Diego Symphony |
Rafael Payare |
Venezuelan
|
| San Francisco |
San Francisco Philharmonic |
Jessica Bejarano |
American
|
| San Francisco |
San Francisco Symphony |
Esa-Pekka Salonen |
Finnish
|
| Santa Rosa |
Santa Rosa Symphony |
Francesco Lecce-Chong |
American
|
| Sarasota, Florida |
Sarasota Orchestra |
Giancarlo Guerrero (designate, effective 2025) |
Costa Rican
|
| Seattle |
Seattle Symphony Orchestra |
Xian Zhang (designate, effective 2025) |
Chinese
|
| Tampa, Florida |
The Florida Orchestra |
Michael Francis |
British
|
| Toledo, Ohio |
Toledo Symphony Orchestra |
Alain Trudel |
Canadian
|
| Virginia Beach, Virginia |
Symphonicity |
Daniel W. Boothe |
American
|
| Washington, D.C. |
National Symphony Orchestra |
Gianandrea Noseda |
Italian
|
| Wilmington, Delaware |
Delaware Symphony Orchestra |
(post vacant) |
|
Venezuela
Vietnam
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