The San Francisco Symphony has appointed Spanish horn-player Diego Incertis Sánchez as its new Principal Horn, effective January 2026. He succeeds Robert Ward, who retired in December 2023 after 43 years with the orchestra, including a tenure as Principal Horn from 2007 until his retirement.
Incertis Sánchez currently serves as Principal Horn with the London Symphony Orchestra and previously held the chair with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London. He has also appeared as guest principal with ensembles including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
“I’m incredibly excited to be joining the San Francisco Symphony and to make music with such a truly special group of colleagues,” he said in a statement. “San Francisco is such a vibrant and multicultural city, and I’m looking forward to performing for a community with such an appreciation for arts and music. Just in my first few months with the Symphony, I will have the opportunity to play some of the greatest repertoire for orchestra. I’m especially thrilled to perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 with Maestro Herbert Blomstedt.”
The appointment comes amid broader leadership changes at the San Francisco Symphony. Following the departure of Esa‑Pekka Salonen as Music Director at the end of the 2024-25 season, the orchestra has yet to name a successor, leaving the position officially “vacant”.
When Incertis Sánchez arrives in January, Michael Stevens — currently Acting Principal Horn — will move into the role of Acting Associate Principal Horn.
Born in Valladolid, Spain, Incertis Sánchez began the horn at age eight under Carlos Balaguer. He studied at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid with Radovan Vlatković and Rodolfo Epelde, then at the Royal College of Music in London with Jeff Bryant, Timothy Jones and Nigel Black. Since September 2022 he has been a professor at the Royal College of Music.
His solo appearances include Schumann’s Konzertstück with the Philharmonia under Santtu-Matias Rouvali and Helmut Lachenmann’s My Melodies with the London Symphony Orchestra under Ilan Volkov. He is active in chamber music, performing with the LSO and Philharmonia Winds, the Wigmore Soloists, and collaborating with Michael Collins, Isabelle van Keulen and Benjamin Gilmore.
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