LA Phil Appoints Esa-Pekka Salonen to New Position of Creative Director

Kim Noltemy, LA Phil President & Chief Executive Officer and David C. Bohnett Presidential Chair, have announced the expansion of the LA Phil's artistic leadership team with the appointment of Esa-Pekka Salonen to the newly established position of the Judith & Thomas L. Beckmen Creative Director. Beginning with the 2026/27 season, Salonen will conduct and curate approximately six weeks of concerts with the LA Phil and focus on multi-disciplinary projects, festivals and the innovative programming for which the orchestra is renowned.

The LA Phil has grown tremendously over the past 25 years, and its institutional goals are grounded in artistic excellence, continually seeking opportunities to expand audiences, opening more avenues for artist voices and expression and building new paths for orchestral music. As the LA Phil looked to its future, it created the role of Creative Director, a unique leadership structure designed to help shepherd the organization into its next exciting era. When the LA Phil considered this new position, it was very clear that Esa-Pekka Salonen was the ideal artist to inaugurate the important role of the LA Phil's first Creative Director. The search for the LA Phil's next Music Director is ongoing, and the Music Director and Creative Director roles will be complementary to each other.

The LA Phil has also formed an artistic partnership with Salonen and the Philharmonie de Paris performing arts center, which simultaneously appointed Salonen as Creativity and Innovation Chair as well as Principal Conductor, Orchestre de Paris. Drawing on the exceptional artistry and creativity of Paris and Los Angeles, the partnership will include collaborative initiatives between the organizations such as a new Salonen International Conducting Fellowship nurturing a rising generation of conductors, a new series of ballet commissions, pairings of some of the world's most compelling choreographers and composers, beginning with Benjamin Millepied and Gabriella Smith, as well as joint festivals, and a new project featuring immersive experiences that combine music, media and technology.

“Esa-Pekka Salonen is a transformational artist whose vision helped shape the LA Phil into what it has become today,” Kim Noltemy stated. “We are thrilled to have Esa-Pekka join the LA Phil in this historic new role, and we look forward to seeing how his innovative spirit will build on his highly celebrated legacy here and around the world.” Noltemy continued, “The addition of a Creative Director to our artistic team gives us an even greater ability to serve our audiences, bring unparalleled musical experiences to our iconic stages and push the boundaries of what an orchestra can do.”

Jason Subotky, Board Chair of the LA Phil, said, “Esa-Pekka Salonen is an unmatched visionary, and we are proud to be able to present his expertise and creativity to audiences in Los Angeles in a much larger way. These groundbreaking projects will be manifested in ways that are possible only in Los Angeles with the LA Phil. On behalf of the LA Phil Board of Directors, we extend our deepest thanks to Judith and Thomas Beckmen, who have made a major gift to endow and name the Creative Director position and for their ongoing commitment to helping the LA Phil extend its reputation for excellence and innovation.”

Former Board Chair of the LA Phil Thomas Beckmen said, “I have had the privilege to work with Esa-Pekka Salonen for many years, and his long, storied and impactful relationship with the LA Phil has changed the history of the orchestra. He inspires our musicians, and his increased presence and new initiatives in this role will undoubtedly lead the orchestra to even greater heights. My wife Judy and I wholeheartedly support both the vision to establish the Creative Director position and the selection of Esa-Pekka as he begins this new artistic journey.”

Salonen served as the LA Phil's Music Director from 1992-2009, during which time he commissioned and premiered a record-breaking number of works and was Frank Gehry's partner in the construction of Walt Disney Concert Hall. Together the LA Phil and Salonen created Landmark Productions including the presentation of Edgard Varèse's Amériques; the LA Phil's first collaboration with multimedia artist Refik Anadol; staged productions of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde and Stravinsky's Persephone and Orpheus, directed by Peter Sellars, and Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's The Seven Deadly Sins, directed by Simon McBurney; imaginative programs with Sigur Rós to conclude the Reykjavík Festival and Boulez's Rituel with new choreography by Benjamin Millepied; major multidisciplinary festivals exploring the influence of politics on the arts, such as the Shadow of Stalin festival and The Weimar Republic festival; as well as world premieres by dynamic and imaginative composers including Louis Andriessen, Kaija Saariaho, Anders Hillborg and Unsuk Chin. Salonen has maintained a close relationship with the Orchestra since his time as Music Director, leading several programs every season as Conductor Laureate. He returns to the LA Phil for two programs in the 2025/26 season, including Scriabin with Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the world premiere of the Violin Concerto by Gabriella Smith for Pekka Kuusisto (January 9–11) and Busoni's mammoth five-movement concerto with Igor Levit (January 17–18).

“The first time I ever came to the U.S. was to conduct the LA Phil,” Esa-Pekka Salonen stated. “Coming from Finland, where we tend toward understatement, the LA Phil's bold vision for what an orchestra could mean to a city and to the world was surreal — a Californian optimism with which I was not familiar. But we understood that an orchestra isn't just about maintaining tradition; it's about pushing boundaries, taking risks. Now, no place has been more central to my artistic life than the Los Angeles Philharmonic. It's an honor and a privilege to continue to work with the musicians and the organization in this new capacity.”

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