Daniel Harding Named Music Director of China's Youth Music Culture The Greater Bay Area

Harding succeeds the initiative's original music director, cellist Yo-Yo Ma

British conductor Daniel Harding will be the next Music Director of China's Youth Music Culture The Greater Bay Area (YMCG) for an initial term of five years, beginning in 2024. Harding is only the second Music Director appointed to the role and succeeds cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

YMCG is a collaboration between the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, and the Macao Orchestra. They come together with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra in the Xinghai Concert Hall to strengthen musical ties across those four cities, all of which are in the Greater Bay Area.

Harding's role at the organization will include working alongside its founder Long Yu to develop the symphonic program. He will also be responsible for seeking out some of the world's best orchestral players to act as tutors, mentors, and chamber musicians for the program.

Born in Oxford, Daniel Harding is presently Music and Artistic Director at the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, as well as Conductor Laureate of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. He works regularly with some of the world's best orchestras, including the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra.

In 2018 he was named Artistic Director of the Anima Mundi Festival, and prior posts include music director of the Orchestre de Paris (2016–19) and principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra (2007–17).

Harding began his career assisting Simon Rattle at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, with which he made his professional debut in 1994. He went on to assist Claudio Abbado at the Berlin Philharmonic and made his debut with that orchestra at the 1996 Berlin Festival.