The Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León (Valladolid, Spain) announced today the appointment of Thierry Fischer as Music Director, starting in September 2022 for an initial 3 seasons and with the possibility of extending for a further 2 seasons. Fischer retains his positions as Music Director of the Sao Paulo Symphony (since 2020), and concurrently of the Utah Symphony until Summer 2023 when he becomes Emeritus after 14 years as Music Director.

Fischer conducted the orchestra in Valladolid twice last season already in programmes featuring Rachmaninov’s 2nd Symphony and Saint-Saens’ Organ Symphony, and was hugely impressed by the quality and flexibility of the ensemble, their commitment, and by their excellent concert hall.

Highlights of his programmes with the orchestra next season include concerts with Spanish pianist Javier Perianes as their 22/23 Artist-in-Residence; a world premiere by Guy Barker written specially for the orchestra to perform with Brass for Africa, and repertoire ranging from Haydn to Mahler, Bruckner, Stravinsky and Florence Price.

Thierry Fischer on his appointment, “Joining the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León as Music Director in the 2022-23 season fills me with great joy. We will work together for very contrasting programmes during my first season in my new role. Working on the many different musical aspects of this wide repertoire will help us shape a new sound together, with the goal of taking the artistic proficiency of the orchestra to the next level. I cannot wait to start this beautiful and exciting journey together and I am very proud to be a part of this wonderful group of people and artists.”

Fischer is joined in Valladolid by two Conductors-in-Association: Vasily Petrenko (also from 2022-2023) and Elim Chan (from 2023-24).  In the first year of his tenure the orchestra launches a new national conducting competition in collaboration with Jeunesses Musicales Spain, creating the role of Assistant Conductor in order to support and enhance the younger generation of Spanish conductors.

Soloists appearing with the orchestra in the last and upcoming season include violinists Hilary Hahn, Hilary Hahn, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Midori, and Pinchas Zukerman, violist Antoine Tamestit, cellists Gautier Capuçon, Steven Isserlis, Alban Gerhardt and Daniel Müller-Schott, clarinettist Andreas Ottensamer, pianists Nelson Goerner, Elizabeth Leonskaja and Kirill Gerstein, singers Javier Camarena, Anna Larsson and Patricia Petibon, and conductors such as Leonard Slatkin, Thomas Dausgaard, Eliahu Inbal, Krzysztof Urbański, Hugh Wolff, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Ludovic Morlot, Giancarlo Guerrero, Chloé van Soeterstède and Antony Hermus. Also many of the leading Spanish artists are appearing with the orchestra, such as conductors Josep Pons, Pablo González, Jaime Martín, Jaume Santonja and Roberto González Monjas, pianist Javier Perianes as Artist in Residence, cellist Pablo Ferrández, Del Valle Piano Duo, violinist Javier Comesaña and guitarist Rafael Aguirre.