Just a few days after eagle-eyed football fans spotted the Nashville Symphony’s former longtime music director Giancarlo Guerrero conducting during Bad Bunny’s Superbowl halftime show, the orchestra has announced its next music director. Revered conductor Leonard Slatkin — who served the ensemble in a related role as music advisor from 2006 to 2009 and again in 2025 following Guerrero’s departure — will take the podium for the 2026 season through 2029.
Slatkin’s run as music advisor in the Aughts coincided with the opening of the Schermerhorn, a landmark in the organization’s history. His upcoming tenure will coincide with 80th anniversary celebrations for the orchestra and 20th anniversary celebrations for the symphony center. He’s set to conduct six of the 14 concerts in the ensemble’s Classical Series during the 2026-2027 season that begins in the late summer.
“I feel this is the right time and place for me to be,” Slatkin says in a release. “This three-year term will be the start of a new chapter for the Nashville Symphony. I will work closely with everyone to help develop a framework for the future. In a city that is developing by leaps and bounds, there is every reason to believe that the Nashville Symphony and Schermerhorn Symphony Center will be at the heart of this renaissance. I am privileged to be a part of this growth.”
“This appointment gives our orchestra exactly what we need right now: experienced leadership, artistic momentum and someone who understands our organization and community,” says concertmaster Peter Otto in the same release. “Maestro Slatkin knows how to elevate what makes this orchestra special.”
Keep an eye on the Nashville Symphony’s website for an upcoming announcement of the aforementioned 2026 and 2027 season performances.
