Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Names Matthias Pintscher Music Director

The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) has announced the appointment of conductor-composer Matthias Pintscher as its next Music Director, beginning with an initial four-year term at the start of the 2027–28 season. During the 2026–27 season, Pintscher will serve as Music Director Designate.

Pintscher succeeds LACO Music Director Jaime Martín, who will assume the role of Music Director  Laureate in the 2027–28 season.

Pintscher's appointment continues the legacy of visionary music directors who have shaped LACO into one of the nation's most exceptional and forward-thinking ensembles, while solidifying its role as a cultural leader in Los Angeles. Pintscher and LACO are united by a shared passion to champion contemporary voices while honoring the great works of the canon, embracing both tradition and evolution. This is all grounded in a commitment to accessibility, ensuring that the LACO experience resonates beyond the concert hall and into the broader community.

Pintscher is no stranger to LACO or Los Angeles. His relationship to LACO spans nearly a decade, starting in 2018 as Artist-in-Residence. He conducted LACO in works ranging from Berlioz, Debussy, Fauré, Ravel and Mahler; and led education initiatives and curated programs of Grisey, Berg, Ravel, Xenakis and Mahler. In the 2026–27 season, Pintscher will lead LACO in a program featuring Haydn's Trauer Symphony, Kayhan Kalhor's Blue as the Turquoise Night of Neyshabur and Mozart's Linz Symphony on April 23 & 25, 2027.

“I am deeply honored to step into the role of Music Director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble I have long admired,” said Pintscher. “Since I first began working with LACO, I was struck by its spirit of openness and dedication, which is evident both on the stage and throughout the organization. I am eager to develop a lasting and meaningful partnership with this extraordinary ensemble.”

Pintscher continues, “Los Angeles holds a very special place in my heart, not only for its unmatched cultural energy, but for the vitality and creativity of its artistic community. I look forward to continuing my relationship with LACO and to deepening my connection to this remarkable city.”

“Matthias Pintscher's appointment marks a defining moment for LACO,” said Ben Cadwallader, Executive Director, LACO. “He has a longstanding relationship with our musicians and this city, and he brings a relentless commitment to artistry that is at once fearless and expansive. That's exactly why I can think of no one better to build upon Jaime Martín's remarkable eight-season legacy. Matthias and I share a deep commitment to widen LACO's reach and make great music personal, both here in Los Angeles and beyond. With him as a partner, I've rarely felt more inspired, or more optimistic about what lies ahead.”

“We are over the moon to be welcoming Matthias to the LACO family,” said Board co-chair Ruth Eliel. Co-Chair Dan Ohgi added, “His enthusiasm for the orchestra and for Los Angeles knows no bounds; he is an incredible artist, and I know that he will make a superb leader and collaborator for this treasured ensemble.”

LACO Concertmaster Margaret Batjer said, “I have long admired Matthias Pintscher, whom I consider one of the most visionary and extraordinary musicians of our time. I could not be more thrilled that he has been chosen as LACO's next Music Director. I believe he will both honor the great tradition of our beloved orchestra and usher in a bold new era of artistic exploration and innovation. There could be no more inspiring moment for his arrival as we prepare to welcome audiences to our new home at Colburn's Terri and Jerry Kohl Hall, opening in fall 2027.”

Matthias Pintscher serves as Music Director of the Kansas City Symphony, is the Creative Partner of the Cincinnati Symphony and has held several distinguished positions in the past. Most recently, he concluded a decade-long tenure as the Music Director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain (EIC), the iconic Parisian contemporary ensemble founded by Pierre Boulez. He also served as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's Artist-in-Association for nine seasons, and in 2018–19, he was the Season Creative Chair for the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. In addition to his role with LACO, Pintscher will continue as Music Director of the Kansas City Symphony through the 2033–2034 season.

An enthusiastic supporter of and mentor to students and young musicians, Pintscher was Principal Conductor of the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra, and ran the Heidelberger Atelier, an academy for young musicians and composers, from 2005 to 2018. He has also worked with the Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic, Music Academy of the West, National Orchestral Institute, and Junge Deutsche Philharmonie. He appears regularly with the New World Symphony in Miami, a training orchestra for post-conservatory, pre-professional musicians.

Over the past several decades, LACO has built a reputation as one of the nation's most artistically adventurous and versatile ensembles, balancing celebrated masterworks with today's leading contemporary voices, and continues to deepen its artistic ambition and impact in Los Angeles.

"The musicians of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra welcome Matthias Pintscher with open arms and great anticipation,” said Josephina Vergara, Chair of LACO's Orchestra Committee and Principal Second Violin. “His presence on our podium marks the beginning of what we know will be a remarkable chapter — one that will unlock extraordinary possibilities for our orchestra and for our audiences.”

ABOUT MATTHIAS PINTSCHER

Matthias Pintscher will assume the role of Music Director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) beginning in the 2027-28 season. He has served as Music Director of the Kansas City Symphony (KCS) since the 2024–25 season, and has recently been extended through the 2033–34 season.

Alongside his distinguished conducting career, Pintscher is internationally acclaimed as one today's leading composers. His catalogue encompasses opera, concerti written for many of the world's foremost soloists, as well as orchestral, chamber, and solo works. Through his conducting and performances of his music, Pintscher has established himself as a prominent artistic voice of the 21st century.

Pintscher's 2026–27 season includes eleven weeks with the KCS and an appearance with LACO in April 2027. Guest engagements in Europe include the Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Boulez Ensemble, and Musikkollegium Winterthur, while North American appearances include the Cincinnati, Dallas, San Diego, and Utah symphonies.

Pintscher has been Creative Partner of the Cincinnati Symphony since the 2020–21 season. His previous titled positions include a decade as Music Director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain (2013–2023), Music Director at the Ojai Festival (2020), Artist-in-Association with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (2010–2018), and Principal Conductor of the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra (2016–2018).

Pintscher's compositions have been performed by many orchestras including the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the Orchestre de Paris. During the coming season, two new works will receive their world premieres: à tout moment performed by the Ensemble Intercontemporain, and a suite from Das kalte Herz, his opera that debuted earlier this year at the Staatsoper Berlin under his baton. Pintscher's works are published by Boosey and Hawkes; works written before 2023 are published by Bärenreiter.

Among many prestigious prizes, Pintscher was awarded the Prix Prince Pierre de Monaco, the Polar Prize together with Ensemble Intercontemporain, and was named Chevalier de l'ordre des letters et des Arts. Born in Marl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Pintscher studied conducting with Pierre Boulez and Peter Eötvös.

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