The Gran Teatre del Liceu (Barcelona) has announced the appointment of Jonathan Nott as its next Music Director, beginning with the 2026–27 season and spanning a period of five seasons. He will succeed Josep Pons, who has held the position since 2012 and will become the institution’s Honorary Music Director.
Known for his deep engagement with contemporary music as well as his interpretations of the classical and Romantic repertoire, Jonathan Nott currently serves as Music and Artistic Director of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Principal Conductor of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. His wide-ranging career has included leadership roles at the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (2000–2016), the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, and the Ensemble Intercontemporain, among others.
In a statement, Nott described the appointment as “a great privilege and truly an honour,” noting his long-standing connection to vocal music and opera. He recalled attending a recent performance of Dvořák’s Rusalka at the Liceu, conducted by Pons, as a source of inspiration for his future work with the institution.
“I am looking forward to reuniting with this great team at the start of the 2026–2027 season and embarking on this enriching journey together,” said Nott.
Outgoing Music Director Josep Pons welcomed the appointment, calling it “an excellent decision and wonderful news both for the Theatre and for the musical world of our country.” Pons also praised the Liceu’s careful and inclusive selection process, which, for the first time, involved input from the Orchestra.
As a symbolic gesture of recognition, Josep Pons will be named Honorary Music Director, in acknowledgement of his fourteen-year tenure and artistic legacy at the Liceu. The Theatre cited Pons’s “renewing vision, inspiring leadership, and transformative capacity,” which contributed to the institution’s national and international consolidation.
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