Around the Music Festival

Poland’s National Forum of Music Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra（NFM Filharmonia Wrocławska） has announced that it will welcome Christoph Eschenbach as artistic director beginning with the 2024/2025 season. Wrocław was a German territory before World War II and was known as Breslau; it is also the birthplace of Eschenbach, who will turn 84 in February.

According to the announcement, he succeeds Giancarlo Guerrero, who has been in that position since the 2017/2018 season and retired after the 2022/2023 season. Eschenbach’s term will run until the end of the 2028/2029 season.

Starting his musical career as a pianist, Eschenbach moved to conducting in the 1970s. He has served as “chef” of prestigious orchestras such as the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra (1998-2004), Orchestre de Paris (2000-2008), Philadelphia Orchestra (2003-2008), and Music Director of the Washington National Symphony Orchestra (2010-2016).

In parallel, he has served as artistic director of several music festivals, including the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Ravinia Music Festival, and the PMF (Pacific Music Festival).

Most recently, he has served as Chief Conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin Berlin since 2019, retiring at the end of the 2022/2023 season. He is currently the Honorary Guest Conductor of the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra in Denmark.

Photo：Orchestre symphonique de Montréal