Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC) in Ottawa has announced the appointment of Finnish conductor John Storgårds as the next Music Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO). He will assume the position at the start of the 2026–27 season, succeeding Alexander Shelley, who steps down in July 2026 after more than a decade at the helm.
Storgårds has had a long-standing relationship with the ensemble, making his debut in 2013 and serving as Principal Guest Conductor since 2015. In Ottawa, he has introduced works ranging from Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3 and Vaughan Williams’s Symphony No. 5 to Nielsen’s Symphony No. 2 and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 3, alongside music by contemporary composers such as Kaija Saariaho, Sebastian Fagerlund, Betsy Jolas, Outi Tarkiainen, Victoria Poleva, and Canadian Métis composer Ian Cusson, whose Le loup de Lafontaine he premiered in 2019.
Reflecting on his appointment, Storgårds said: “I couldn’t be more honoured, happy, and thrilled to become Music Director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, an orchestra I already love so deeply. When I look back at the highlights of each season, my concerts with the NAC Orchestra always stand out among the very best moments. Not only is it a fantastic orchestra, it is also a family of wonderful musicians and people, with whom I have felt a special bond from the very first time we worked together. I also look forward to strengthening my relationship with the Orchestra’s devoted, enthusiastic, and justifiably proud audience, as well as with all Canadians.”
Beyond Ottawa, Storgårds holds prominent international posts as Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic and the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, and Artistic Director of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra. From 2008 to 2015 he was Chief Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic. He is also an accomplished violinist and chamber musician, and as a conductor appears regularly with leading ensembles including the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, as well as with Canadian ensembles such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.
Christopher Deacon, President and CEO of the NAC, welcomed the announcement: “While John and the Orchestra have already established a strong relationship, there is so much excitement about the potential for further discovery and artistic growth. He is a steadfast supporter in areas where we are firmly committed, including professional development for young and emerging artists and nurturing new creation.”
With this appointment, Storgårds becomes the eighth Music Director in the NAC Orchestra’s history, a new chapter in the ensemble’s evolution following Alexander Shelley’s tenure.
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