London Philharmonic Orchestra Extends Canellakis' Contract

American conductor Karina Canellakis will continue in the role of Principal Guest Conductor for an additional three years

Karina Canellakis began serving as Principal Guest Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) in the 2021/22 concert season. Her three-year contract extension will see her continue to conduct the LPO in the UK and on tour. 

Many of her appearances with the orchestra include the UK premiere of Composer-in-Residence Tania León’s Horizons in October 2023, plus a six-date tour to Germany in the previous season. 

She has also been involved with LPO’s Junior Artists scheme, which offers professional development to emerging musicians from backgrounds currently under-represented in professional UK orchestras. 

Canellakis is currently chief conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) and will be featured this season as Artist-in-Residence at Vienna’s Musikverein, conducting the LPO, RPO, Wiener Symphoniker, and ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien.

Since winning the 2016 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, she has guest-conducted many major orchestras. Her engagements this season include her debut with the New York Philharmonic, and returning to conduct the Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, and NDR Elbphilharmonie.

She became the first woman to conduct the First Night of the BBC Proms in 2019, and in 2018, she was the first woman to conduct the Nobel Prize Concert with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic. 

“I have had such a wonderful time conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra during the past three years and am thrilled to be working with them for a further three,” Canellakis posted on Facebook. “It’s the response to the in-the-moment spontaneity that is so incredible with this orchestra and which makes it an electrifying experience both for me and the audience. I can’t wait to continue making music together!” 

Her upcoming concerts with the LPO include a five-city European tour with a program of Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto with Christian Tetzlaff, Brahms’s Symphony No. 4, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, and more. 

JEAN SIBELIUS | SYMPHONY NO. 5 – III. ALLEGRO MOLTO | LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA | KARINA CANELLAKIS | 2022