The Philharmonia Orchestra has announced the appointment of Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck as its next Principal Conductor, succeeding Santtu-Matias Rouvali in September 2028.
Honeck will take up an initial five-year contract with the Philharmonia, working with the orchestra for a minimum of eight weeks each year. He is currently in his 19th season as Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, where his contract was recently extended for a further five years, making him the longest-serving Music Director in Pittsburgh’s history.
Alongside his Philharmonia appointment, it was also announced that Honeck will become Festival Director of an annual orchestral festival with the San Francisco Symphony.
A former violist with the Vienna Philharmonic and Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Honeck is renowned for his interpretations of the Central European repertoire and his close attention to orchestral sound. His tenure in Pittsburgh has included acclaimed performances, international tours and a Grammy Award-winning recording.
Honeck has already developed a strong musical rapport with Philharmonia musicians, sharing an affinity for the orchestra’s distinctive sound. He becomes only the seventh Principal Conductor since the orchestra’s founding in 1945, joining a coterie that includes Otto Klemperer, Riccardo Muti, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Christoph von Dohnányi, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Santtu-Matias Rouvali.
Rouvali, who has held the post since 2021, will remain Principal Conductor for the next two seasons. His tenure concludes in summer 2028, following a decade of music-making with the orchestra.
