LA Philharmonic Appoints Daniel Harding as Music Director

The Los Angeles Philharmonic has named British conductor Daniel Harding as its next music director, succeeding Gustavo Dudamel beginning in the fall of 2027. The orchestra announced the appointment Tuesday, ending a three-year search for a new artistic leader.

Harding, 50, has agreed to a six-year contract and will conduct up to twelve weeks per season. He was described by orchestra leadership as the overwhelming favorite of the musicians. His appointment marks his first music directorship with an American orchestra, nearly three decades after he made his U.S. debut conducting the L.A. Phil at the Ojai Music Festival in 1997 at age 21.

He steps into a role previously held by charismatic, younger conductors like Zubin Mehta and Dudamel, who both began at age 26. Harding brings a different profile, having established a major career primarily in Europe. He currently serves as music director of Rome’s Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, a position he will maintain through at least 2029. His career began as a teenage assistant to conductor Simon Rattle and later Claudio Abbado. By his early twenties, he had conducted the Berlin Philharmonic.