British composer and conductor Thomas Adès has been appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Hallé Orchestra for an initial three-year term beginning in September 2026. The appointment marks the first formal conducting title of his career.
Adès has enjoyed a close association with the Manchester orchestra for more than three decades. From 1993 to 1999, he served as the Hallé’s Composer-in-Association, and in 1996 the orchestra commissioned and premiered These Premises Are Alarmed to mark the opening of the Bridgewater Hall, where the orchestra is resident.
More recently, Adès has served as Artist-in-Residence, regularly conducting performances of his own works with the orchestra.
Adès said of his appointment, “Composing is the most important part of my musical life, but conducting has always played an essential role. Working directly with orchestral musicians and soloists and shaping the interpretation of my music and that of other composers has been an endless source of joy and inspiration.”
As a conductor, Adès appears regularly with orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Vienna Philharmonic. He has won numerous awards, including the Grawemeyer Award, of which he was the youngest ever recipient. He was awarded CBE in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
During the Hallé’s 2026–27 season, Adès will conduct three Manchester concerts in programmes curated with the orchestra, combining his own music with premieres by Gabriella Smith and Francisco Coll, alongside works by Stravinsky, Elgar, Berg, Chabrier and Gerald Barry. An accomplished pianist, he will also perform in chamber concerts.
The orchestra's Chief Executive David Butcher said, “The orchestra love working with Tom and we can’t wait to welcome him back to Manchester for his first concert in November.”
