The Los Angeles Philharmonic has announced that British conductor Daniel Harding will succeed Gustavo Dudamel as music director, beginning in the 2027/28 season. Harding, 50, has signed an initial six-year contract and will oversee programming at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Ford, and Youth Orchestra Los Angeles. He will conduct eight weeks in his first season, increasing to 12 weeks thereafter.
Harding, born in Oxford in 1975, was mentored by Simon Rattle and Claudio Abbado early in his career. At 21, he became the youngest conductor in Proms history. His tenure includes 19 years with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and over two decades with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, which he helped found. He has also held roles with the London Symphony Orchestra and major orchestras worldwide.
President and CEO Kim Noltemy praised Harding's intellectual curiosity and global perspective, noting he was the overwhelming choice of the orchestra's musicians. Harding expressed excitement about inheriting an orchestra with a rich tradition shaped by previous music directors including Carlo Maria Giulini, Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Dudamel.
Harding, also a qualified airline pilot who flies Airbus aircraft for Air France, will continue his parallel career. He first conducted the LA Phil in 1997 at the Ojai Music Festival. Dudamel, who leaves in August 2026 to become music director of the New York Philharmonic, will remain as artistic and cultural laureate of the LA Phil.
