This is a non-exhaustive list of principal conductors by orchestra, principally for orchestras with pages on Wikipedia, classified by country and by city. The term 'principal conductor' is used here as an umbrella term to encompass such titles as: Principal conductor Music director Chief conductor The term 'music director' is more common in the US and Canada, whereas 'principal conductor' or 'chief conductor' is more prevalent elsewhere. In German-speaking countries, the title of General Music Director (Generalmusikdirektor / Generalmusikdirektorin) is used for conductors who are the music director of multiple musical institutions in a given city, such as both a symphony orchestra and an opera house. For orchestras which simultaneously have or have had both a music director and a principal conductor, such as the Royal Northern Sinfonia and Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, the person with the title of music director is given preference by hierarchy.
Orchestras which choose not to have principal conductors, such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, are omitted from this list. Likewise, principal conductors for opera companies are omitted, unless the orchestra of that opera company performs orchestral concerts under a separate name.
Argentina City Orchestra Conductor Nationality Buenos Aires Argentine National Symphony Orchestra (post vacant)
Armenia City Orchestra Conductor Nationality Yerevan Armenian State Symphony Orchestra Sergey Smbatyan Armenian Yerevan Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra Eduard Topchjan Armenian Yerevan National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia Vahan Mardirossian Armenian Gyumri KOHAR Symphony Orchestra and Choir Natalie Galstyan Armenian
Australia City Orchestra Conductor Nationality Adelaide Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Mark Wigglesworth British Brisbane Queensland Symphony Orchestra Umberto Clerici Italian Canberra Canberra Symphony Orchestra Jessica Cottis AustralianDarwinDarwin Symphony OrchestraRichard MillsAustralian Hobart Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Eivind Aadland Norwegian Melbourne Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Jaime Martín Spanish Perth West Australian Symphony Orchestra Asher Fisch Israeli Sydney Australian Chamber Orchestra Richard Tognetti AustralianSydneyAustralian World OrchestraAlexander BrigerAustralian Sydney Sydney Symphony Orchestra Simone Young Australian
Austria City Orchestra Conductor Nationality Bregenz Vorarlberg Symphony Gérard Korsten South African Drassburg Österreichisch-Ungarische Haydn Philharmonie Nicolas Altstaedt German Graz Grazer Philharmonisches Orchester Roland Kluttig German Linz Ars Antiqua Austria Gunar Letzbor Austrian Linz Bruckner Orchestra Linz Markus Poschner German Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg Riccardo Minasi Italian Vienna Concentus Musicus Wien Stefan Gottfried Austrian Vienna Vienna Hofburg Orchestra Gert Hofbauer Austrian Vienna Wiener Johann Strauss Orchester Johannes Wildner Austrian Vienna Nova Orchester Wien William Garfield Walker American Vienna Klangforum Wien Beat Furrer Swiss Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra Yutaka Sado Japanese Vienna Vienna Chamber Orchestra Stefan Vladar Austrian Vienna Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra Markus Poschner (designate, effective 2026) German Vienna Vienna Symphony Petr Popelka Czech
Belgium City Orchestra Conductor Nationality Antwerp Antwerp Symphony Orchestra Marc Albrecht German Brussels Brussels Philharmonic Kazushi Ōno Japanese Brussels National Orchestra of Belgium Antony Hermus Dutch Ghent Oost-Vlaams Symfonisch Orkest Geert Baetens Belgian Liège Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège Gergely Madaras Hungarian Mons Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie Frank Braley French
Bolivia City Orchestra Conductor Nationality La Paz National Symphony Orchestra of Bolivia Weimar Arancibia Bolivian
Brazil City Orchestra Conductor Nationality Rio de Janeiro Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira Roberto Minczuk Brazilian São Paulo Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo Thierry Fischer Swiss Ponta Grossa Orquestra Sinfônica de Ponta Grossa Jayme Amatnecks Brazilian Brasilia Orquestra Sinfônica de Brasília - OSTNCS Cláudio Cohen Brazilian
Bulgaria City Orchestra Conductor Nationality Sofia Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra Nayden Todorov Bulgarian Sofia Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra Konstantin Ilievsky Macedonian Sofia Classic FM Radio Orchestra Grigor Palikarov Bulgarian Plovdiv State Opera Plovdiv Orchestra Dian Chobanov Bulgarian Ruse State Opera Rousse Orchestra Dimitar Kosev Bulgarian
Canada City Orchestra Conductor Nationality Calgary Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Karen Kamensek American Calgary Calgary Civic Symphony Rolf Bertsch Canadian Calgary Rocky Mountain Symphony Orchestra Carlos Foggin Canadian Charlottetown PEI Symphony Orchestra Jaelem Bhate Canadian Edmonton Edmonton Symphony Orchestra Jean-Marie Zeitouni Canadian Edmonton Alberta Symphony Orchestra Emilio De Mercato Italian Halifax, Nova Scotia Symphony Nova Scotia (post vacant) Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra James S. Kahane FrenchKitchener, OntarioKitchener-Waterloo Symphony (post vacant)Laval, QuebecOrchestre symphonique de LavalAdam JohnsonCanadianMontrealOrchestre classique de MontréalAndrei FeherCanadian-Romanian Montreal Orchestre Métropolitain Yannick Nézet-Séguin Canadian Montreal Montreal Symphony Orchestra Rafael Payare VenezuelanKelowna, British ColumbiaOkanagan Symphony OrchestraJulian PellicanoCanadian-American Ottawa National Arts Centre Orchestra John Storgårds (designate, effective September 2026) Finnish Quebec City Les Violons du Roy Bernard Labadie (designate, effective 2026) Canadian Quebec City Orchestre symphonique de Québec Clemens Schuldt German Regina, Saskatchewan Regina Symphony Orchestra (post vacant) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra (post vacant) Saint John, New BrunswickSymphony NBMélanie LéonardCanadian St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra Simon Rivard Canadian Thunder Bay Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (post vacant) Toronto Kindred Spirits Orchestra Kristian Alexander Canadian Toronto Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (post vacant) Toronto Toronto Symphony Orchestra Gustavo Gimeno Spanish Trois-Rivières Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières Alain Trudel Canadian Vancouver Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Otto Tausk Dutch Victoria Victoria Symphony Orchestra (post vacant) WindsorWindsor Symphony Orchestra(post vacant) Winnipeg Manitoba Chamber Orchestra Anne Manson American Winnipeg Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra Daniel Raiskin Russian
Chile City Orchestra Conductor Nationality Santiago National Symphony Orchestra of Chile Rodolfo Saglimbeni Venezuelan
China City Orchestra Conductor Nationality Beijing China Philharmonic Orchestra Yu Long Chinese Guangzhou Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra Huang Yi Chinese Nanning Guangxi Symphony Orchestra Synthia Ko Chinese Shanghai Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Yu Long Chinese
Colombia City Orchestra Conductor Nationality Bogotá Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra (post vacant) Bogotá National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia Olivier Grangean French Cali Cali Philharmonic Orchestra Irwin Hoffman American Medellín Orquesta Filarmónica de Medellín David Greilsammer Israel
Czech Republic City Orchestra Conductor Nationality Brno Brno Philharmonic Dennis Russell Davies American České Budějovice South Czech Philharmonic Miran Vaupotić Croatian Olomouc Moravian Philharmonic Petr Vronský Czech Ostrava Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra Daniel Raiskin (designate, effective 2026) Russian Prague Czech National Symphony Orchestra Steven Mercurio American Prague Czech Philharmonic Semyon Bychkov Russian Prague Prague Philharmonia Emmanuel Villaume French Prague Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra Petr Popelka Czech Prague Prague Symphony Orchestra Tomáš Brauner Czech
Denmark City Orchestra Conductor Nationality Aalborg Aalborg Symphony Orchestra Joshua Weilerstein American Aarhus Aarhus Symphony Orchestra Marc Soustrot French Copenhagen Danish National Chamber Orchestra Ádám Fischer Hungarian Copenhagen Danish National Symphony Orchestra Fabio Luisi Italian Copenhagen Royal Danish Orchestra Marie Jacquot French Odense Odense Symphony Orchestra Pierre Bleuse French
Estonia City Orchestra Conductor Nationality Narva Narva City Orchestra Anatoli Štšura Estonian Pärnu Pärnu City Orchestra Henri Christofer Aavik Estonian Tallinn Estonian National Symphony Orchestra Olari Elts Estonian Tallinn Tallinn Chamber Orchestra Vacant — Tartu Vanemuine Symphony Orchestra Risto Joost Estonian
Finland City Orchestra Conductor Nationality Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Sinfonia Ville Matvejeff Finnish Helsinki Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra Nicholas Collon British Helsinki Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra Jukka-Pekka Saraste Finnish Helsinki Helsinki Chamber Orchestra James S. Kahane French Helsinki Helsinki University Symphony Orchestra Mikk Murdvee Estonian Helsinki The Polytech Orchestra Vuokko Lahtinen Finnish Joensuu Joensuu City Orchestra Eero Lehtimäki Finnish Lahti Lahti Symphony Orchestra (post vacant) Lappeenranta Lappeenranta City Orchestra Erkki Lasonpalo Finnish Mikkeli St. Michel Strings Erkki Lasonpalo Finnish Oulu Oulu Symphony Orchestra Rumon Gamba British Pori Pori Sinfonietta Tibor Bogányi Finnish Tampere Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra Matthew Halls British Turku Turku Philharmonic Orchestra John Storgårds Finnish Vaasa Vaasa City Orchestra Anna-Maria Helsing Finnish
France City Orchestra Conductor Nationality Alfortville Orchestre national d'Île-de-France Case Scaglione American Bordeaux Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine Joseph Swensen American Lille Orchestre national de Lille Joshua Weilerstein American Lyon Orchestre National de Lyon Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider Danish Mulhouse Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse Christoph Koncz Austrian-Hungarian Marseille Orchestre philharmonique de Marseille Michele Spotti Italian Nantes Orchestre national des Pays de la Loire Sascha Goetzel Austrian Paris Ensemble Intercontemporain Pierre Bleuse French Paris Orchestre de Chambre de Paris Thomas Hengelbrock German Paris Orchestre de Paris Klaus Mäkelä Finnish Paris Orchestre National de France Cristian Măcelaru Romanian Paris Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France Mikko Franck Finnish Rennes Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne Nicholas Ellis Canadian Strasbourg Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg Aziz Shokhakimov Uzbek Toulouse Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse Tarmo Peltokoski Finnish
Germany