Following Daniel Harding’s departure, the Colombian conductor will lead the orchestra from autumn 2026, succeeding a transitional season under guest conductors.
The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra has announced the appointment of Andrés Orozco-Estrada as its next Music Director, starting in autumn 2026. The position has been vacant since Daniel Harding concluded his tenure at the end of the 2024–25 season.
During the 2025–26 season, the Stockholm-based orchestra will work with a number of guest conductors, with Maxim Emelyanychev serving as Principal Guest Conductor. Orozco-Estrada, who has appeared regularly with the ensemble in recent years, will make his first appearance in his new capacity at the 2026 Baltic Sea Festival, conducting the Swedish premiere of a new work by Anders Hillborg.
“Andrés combines musical brilliance with an ability to connect with the audience,” said Staffan Becker, General Manager of the Swedish Radio Concert Hall, Berwaldhallen, in the official announcement. “We believe he has the best conditions to start a new chapter in the story of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.”
The Colombian-born conductor described the orchestra as “open, honest, and full of energy,” adding that he aims to make concerts “move, inspire, and be accessible to everyone.” His appointment follows a selection process that included a vote among the musicians, which reportedly showed strong support for his candidacy.
Orozco-Estrada currently serves as Principal Conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI in Turin and as General Music Director of the City of Cologne, where he leads the Gürzenich Orchestra. He has previously held leadership roles with the Houston Symphony, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, and the Vienna Symphony. Among his guest appearances are engagements with the Berlin, Vienna, London, and New York Philharmonics, as well as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, and major ensembles in Asia.
Born in Medellín, Colombia, Orozco-Estrada studied violin and conducting in his native country before continuing his education at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where he has been a professor of orchestral conducting since 2022.
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