New Artistic Director at Germany's Kammerakademie Potsdam

François Leleuxwill take over from Antonello Manacorda in the 2025/26 season

The Kammerakademie Potsdam (KAP) in Potsdam, Germany, recently announced that the renowned French oboist and conductor François Leleux will serve as its Artistic Director for the 2025/26 season. He succeeds Antonello Manacorda, and will make his first appearance with the orchestra in the Nikolaisaal Potsdam on 1 March 2025.

Leleux has previously been Artistic Partner of Camerata Salzburg, Artist-in-Association with Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, and has featured as Artist-in-Residence with orchestras such as the hr-Sinfonieorchester, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Berner Symphonieorchester, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife.

He also appears regularly as a player-conductor, frequently leading Salieri’s Double Concerto for Flute and Oboe with flautist Emmanuel Pahud and Camerata Salzburg. In this role, he enjoys performing lesser-known works such as Frantisek Kramar-Krommer’s Oboe Concerto No. 2.

As a solo oboist, he regularly tours with his woodwind sextet Les Vents Français and with recital partners Lisa Batiashvili, Eric Le Sage, and Emmanuel Strosser. Leleux has also helped to enlarge the oboe repertoire by commissioning music from composers including Nicolas Bacri, Michael Jarrell, Giya Kancheli, Thierry Pécou, Gilles Silvestrini and Eric Tanguy.

"Making music with the Kammerakademie Potsdam is a joy and a fascinating challenge," Leleux said. "The musicians are fantastic and open to new ideas. It will be an important and exciting time in my life as an artist. A feast for the ears."

"We are happy and grateful to be able to shape our musical future with an outstanding artistic personality like François Leleux," said Adriana Kussmaul, Managing Director of the Kammerakademie Potsdam. "His artistic expertise, his innovative program ideas and his unifying way of bringing stage and audience together make him a wonderful partner for the KAP and for Potsdam."