Entering a new phase of international virtuosity as one of LA’s most sacred treasures, the Los Angeles Philharmonic announced its newly appointed Music Director, Daniel Harding. Pushing symphonic boundaries for over a century, the world-renowned orchestra has established itself as a highly reputable organization presenting nearly 300 events each year. Known for fostering diverse communities and programming, creative growth, and the necessary influence of live music, LA Phil is continuing these visionary pursuits under Harding’s appointment.

Proclaimed by LA Phil President & Chief Executive Officer Kim Noltemy and LA Phil Board Chair Jason Subotky, Harding will continue the efforts of orchestral programming, including its seasonal locations at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, The Ford, as well as the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA). As the LA Phil Music Director, Harding intends to enhance the organization’s community-engagement efforts and widespread recognition through media ventures and touring. 

Harding shares on the authentic evolution of the organization, “Making music with the magnificent LA Phil musicians is a thrill and an inspiration. Over recent years, the LA Phil has developed something extraordinary that cannot be manufactured: a kind of institutional charisma. That expands the vision of what you ask when thinking about what comes next, for the orchestra, for Los Angeles, for music, and for our community.” 

At the forefront of LA Phil’s artistic team, Harding is accompanied by a team of visionaries, including Creative Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, Conductor-in-Residence Anna Handler, and Gustavo Dudamel, the new Artistic and Cultural Laureate and Founding Director and Conductor Laureate of YOLA. Decided by a committee of musicians, staff, and board, the ruling for Harding arose from his “intellectual curiosity, passion for bringing in and engaging with new audiences, global perspective, and talent for nurturing emerging voices [which] directly align with the LA Phil’s mission and vision,” shares Noltemy.

Originally from Oxford, England, Harding has always been a bit of a Renaissance man. What began as an obsession with twentieth-century music led to assisting Simon Rattle, the former music director of the London Symphony Orchestra, in Birmingham. At a mere 22-years-old, Harding conducted Don Giovanni at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in a Peter Brook production. In tribute to his wide array of external conquests– Grammy award winner, airline pilot for Air France, and a Commander of the British Empire, Harding’s mind remains limitless, as does his talent.

The globally acclaimed British conductor holds a wide repertoire attributed to his craftsmanship and creative ambition, with previous interpretations from orchestral masters Mahler, Mozart, and Britten, to more contemporary works by Thomas Adès and Unsuk Chin. Previously serving as the Artistic and Music Director of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Harding is now the Music Director of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Dudamel shares in respect to Harding, “I have a deep admiration for Daniel's artistry, and for the profound connection he has built with the musicians of the LA Phil over the years. I'm confident that the brilliance, heart and limitless talent of this orchestra, which has inspired me for so many years, will be in good hands under his musical leadership as they build new worlds of sound together."

After beginning his new tenure in the 2027/28 season, Harding prepares to lead the Brahms Second Piano Concerto with Leif Ove Andsnes, Leonard Bernstein’s “Jeremiah” symphony with mezzo-soprano Avery Amereau, and Betsy Jolas’s Latest in November 2026, as well as a production with Thomas Adès’s The Exterminating Angel Symphony and Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra in January 2027.