Sibyle Veil, Présidente-directrice générale of Radio France, and Michel Orier, Radio France’s Directeur de la musique et de la création, are pleased to announce the appointment of Philippe Jordan as Music Director of the Orchestre National de France. He will take up the role on 1st September 2027.
With this appointment Philippe Jordan follows in the distinguished footsteps of Lorin Maazel, Charles Dutoit, Kurt Masur, Daniele Gatti, Emmanuel Krivine and the current Music Director Cristian Măcelaru, who leaves his post in Summer 2027, after an outstanding seven seasons with the orchestra.
Philippe Jordan, who spent 12 years (2009-2021) as Music Director of the Opéra national de Paris, now returns to the French capital as Music Director of the Orchestre National de France. Affirming the ensemble as an ambassador of excellence for French music and an indisputably authoritative force in the broader orchestral repertoire, Philippe Jordan looks forward to reaching ever wider audiences with the Orchestre National de France, whether in Paris, elsewhere in France or around the world. The route to this new long-term relationship was opened by his recent appearances with the Orchestre National de France.
“From my first encounter with the Orchestre National de France in October 2022 I felt that its roots lie as much in the French musical tradition as in the broader Classical and Romantic repertoire. I was certain that together we could achieve something extraordinary. For me, this new association feels like coming home. The 12 years I spent at the Paris Opéra stand as an extremely rewarding period in my career and now, after my time in Austria at the Wiener Staatsoper and previously as Principal Conductor of the Wiener Symphoniker, I am coming back to France.
The circumstances could not be more propitious: Paris has become a second home for me and, having devoted so much time to major opera houses, I am now at a stage of my life where I am ready to concentrate primarily on orchestral repertoire. I am very happy to have found the ideal partner in the Orchestre National de France.”