The Los Angeles Philharmonic has named Daniel Harding, a British conductor who also serves as an Air France pilot, as its next music director, ushering in a new era for the esteemed orchestra after nearly two decades under the charismatic Gustavo Dudamel.
Harding, 50, primarily known for his work with European ensembles, has signed a six-year contract set to commence with the 2027-28 season, the LA Phil announced on Tuesday.
This marks his first appointment by an American orchestra, though he made his U.S. professional debut with the same ensemble in 1997. "It couldn’t have come a day sooner. I’m very glad it didn’t come a day later," he said in a telephone interview from his Paris home.
"The perfect timing, the right moment, and here we go." He will initially conduct eight weeks in his first season, expanding to 12 weeks annually. He also holds a five-year contract as music director of Italy's Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.
The agreement was finalized during a dinner in Rome between Harding and Kim Noltemy, who became the LA Phil’s president and CEO in 2024.
Noltemy praised his multifaceted talents, stating, "He’s an incredible musician and an inspiring leader, a devoted educator. He has a global perspective. He's committed to working with the students. So he has all of the different pieces which we really hope to get in one person."
Harding’s passion for aviation dates back to his youth, leading him to begin piloting in 2014 and join Air France in 2021.
He currently flies Airbus A320s across Europe and North Africa, with aspirations to become a first officer on trans-Atlantic wide-body planes like the Boeing 777 or Airbus A350. "It’s absolutely the most logical thing that at some point in my first couple of years in my role in LA I will also start coming to LA with my other uniform on," he quipped.
His mentor, conductor Simon Rattle, noted Harding’s restless nature, suggesting "he needs something to do with the second brain." Deborah Borda, who led the LA Phil from 1999 to 2017, observed that his second career offers him "a fascinating take on the world," highlighting his dedication to mastering technical skills outside of music.
While his relationship with American orchestras has evolved, Harding first conducted the LA Phil at the Ojai Music Festival in June 1997 and has since performed with other major U.S. ensembles.
He previously garnered a reputation for being overly verbose during rehearsals.
Rattle explained, "Because Daniel is an impatient and fast person by nature, that can be more difficult. He’s very self-aware and he realized that a lot of the things that are not going right are because he wasn’t able to physically show them in the best way."
Harding clarified his approach, stating, "I wanted the musicians to understand that I wasn’t there just to profit from their expertise, that I’d done my work, I’d prepared myself, I had an opinion. And if I spoke too much, it wasn’t because I thought I knew better than them, it was because I wanted them to know that I was trying to earn my place being there." He later sought guidance from renowned conductor coach Mark Stringer.
Harding’s musical journey began as a trumpet player. His significant break came at age 15 when a teacher sent a recording of his performance to Simon Rattle, then principal conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
He became Rattle's assistant in 1994, then Claudio Abbado's, making his Berlin Philharmonic debut in 1996. His prominence grew after leading Mozart's "Don Giovanni" at France's Aix-en-Provence Festival in 1998. His extensive resume includes roles as music director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, principal conductor of Norway’s Trondheim Symphony, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre de Paris.
The LA Phil is transitioning from the Dudamel era, who transformed the orchestra during his tenure starting in 2009 and will depart this summer for the New York Philharmonic.
The organization is adopting a unique leadership model, which includes Dudamel as artistic and cultural laureate, Esa-Pekka Salonen as creative director, and Anna Handler as conductor-in-residence. Reflecting on his new role and his unique commute, Harding remarked, "It's a long commute, but I have a particular easygoing relationship with airplanes, so that doesn’t bother me."
