London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Extends Music Director Contract

Conductor Vasily Petrenko’s contract as music director has been extended through 2030

British conductor Vasily Petrenko was first announced as the new music director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) in 2018. Now, with his role extended through to 2030, Petrenko will continue to strengthen RPO’s national and international standing.

Petrenko’s contract extension at the RPO “recognises the profound artistic leadership that [he] has brought to the Orchestra since he started his tenure in August 2021,” reads the press release.

Under Petrenko’s leadership, the RPO has celebrated a landmark 75th anniversary year, and embraced an ambassadorial role for UK arts worldwide while implementing an enriching program of outreach activities. Other highlights include leading the RPO on critically acclaimed international tours to the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

His new contract follows a series of recent strategic additions to the RPO’s leadership team, including the appointment of Sarah Bardwell as Managing Director, Joe Hisaishi as the RPO’s Composer-in-Association, and Tom Philpott as the Director of Artistic Planning & Partnerships.

Petrenko made his debut with the RPO at the Royal Albert Hall in 2016 with Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection.” He returned a year later to conduct them in Verdi’s Requiem at the Royal Festival Hall. 

Additionally, he has served as Chief Conductor of the European Union Youth Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, and Principal Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

Born in 1976, Petrenko was educated at the St Petersburg Capella Boys Music School and the St Petersburg Conservatoire, where he was mentored by Ilya Musin, Mariss Jansons, and Yuri Temirkanov. Since beginning his career as Resident Conductor of St Petersburg’s Mikhailovsky Theatre, he has performed with numerous major international orchestras. 

For the upcoming 2024/25 season, Petrenko and the RPO will present “Lights in the Dark,” a series of concerts on music composed during times of resistance, courage, and hope. 

The concert programs involve Shostakovich’s “Leningrad” Symphony and Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto, plus the Piano Concerto in One Movement by Florence Price, Dorothy Howell’s Lamia, and Weill’s Four Walt Whitman Songs. Featured soloists will include Paul Lewis, Roderick Williams OBE, Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, and Bruce Liu.

“We have achieved so much in recent years, but the potential exists to raise the bar even higher,” Petrenko said in the press release. “The RPO, with its outstanding musicians and clear vision from management, has a very modern approach and we want to continue striking the right balance between delivering benchmark performances with being creative, original and attracting new audiences to the orchestral world. 

“Together we have grown artistically during the most challenging circumstances of recent years,” he continued, “and now is the time for our shared vision for excellence to be realized in the world’s leading concert halls.”

“Everyone at the RPO is delighted that Vasily is committing to the Orchestra through to 2030,” added RPO’s managing director James Williams. “In the last year, the RPO has enjoyed record attendance figures for our concerts in London and around the UK and the artistic leadership that Vasily brings to the Orchestra — both on and off the podium — will help us in our ambition to enrich lives through orchestral experiences that are uncompromising in their excellence and inclusive in their appeal.”