Chief Conductor of Vienna Symphony Resigns

Colombian-Austrian conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada was announced as chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony (VSO) in 2018 and took the position as of their 2020-21 concert season.

In a statement by the VSO, Orozco-Estrada’s resignation was due to the fact that his contract was not extended beyond the 2024/25 season.

Back in March, the musicians spoke out against an extension of the existing contract at an orchestra meeting, later informing the decision of Director Jan Nast and Vienna's City Councilor for Culture, Veronica Kaup-Hasler.

“We deeply regret Andrés Orozco-Estrada’s decision and would have liked to continue working together until the end of his official term of office,” said Nast. “We had already developed and planned great projects together with him.”

According to Vienna.at, Orozco-Estrada expressed his gratitude to VSO for the moments shared, “for the trust of the City of Vienna,” and wished them the best for their future endeavors.

“As an orchestra, we will now take our time to think about how we will deal with the planned concerts with Andrés-Orozco Estrada,” Nast continued. “Since we have worked constructively with many conductors in recent years, the upcoming concerts will take place as planned. I very much regret that Andrés Orozco-Estrada is leaving his orchestra so quickly.”

Due to Orozco-Estrada’s departure, conductor Markus Poschner will lead VSO’s upcoming Easter concerts with the same program featuring VC Artist cellist Kian Soltani as the soloist.