Andris Nelsons Signs New Contract with Boston Symphony Orchestra

Nelsons will move onto an evergreen, rolling contract in his tenth season as Music Director

Conductor Andris Nelsons has moved onto a rolling contract with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) — in recognition of his ten years of service to the ensemble. As part of the new contract, he has also assumed the position of Head of Conducting at Tanglewood.

Since arriving at the BSO in 2014, Nelsons has led the orchestra through 350 concerts in Symphony Hall, 87 concerts at Tanglewood, four European tours, and two tours of Japan. He has also completed several major projects, such as a GRAMMY Award-winning cycle of the complete works of Dmitri Shostakovich.

Originally a vocalist and trumpeter, Nelsons studied conducting at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory and with Mariss Jansons. He is Kapellmeister at the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and routinely works with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

"It seems like just yesterday that I began my role as Music Director of the BSO,” says Andris Nelsons. “And yet, over the past ten years, the BSO has not only been a beloved orchestra, but my home. I am so thankful to the wonderful musicians, audiences, and communities here in Boston and the Berkshires, and look forward to strengthening and building on these relationships in the seasons to come."

"Furthermore, it will be an immense honor and privilege to connect with students and colleagues in my new role as Head of Conducting at Tanglewood. These first ten years have been wonderful, and I am excited for all we at the BSO are going to accomplish together in the future."

"We are so pleased that Andris has agreed to extend his role as the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director into the foreseeable future; this expresses our deep confidence in his artistic leadership," said Chad Smith, the BSO Eunice and Julian Cohen President and Chief Executive Officer.

"As an arts organization, we are laser-focused on how we can continue to serve Boston and the Berkshires, and on how we can extend our work into communities more broadly across the region. This is a creative orchestra, with extraordinarily talented people. Through his work as Music Director on stage and off, and now as Head of Conducting at Tanglewood, I know that Andris will continue to make the BSO healthy and vibrant for years to come."