The London Philharmonic Orchestra has announced that Karina Canellakis will remain its Principal Guest Conductor through the end of the 2029/30 season, extending a partnership that began in 2021.
The three-year extension will see the American conductor continue in a prominent artistic role during a period of significant transition for the orchestra. Canellakis will remain on the podium through the final seasons of Principal Conductor Edward Gardner’s tenure and the first two years of Paavo Järvi’s leadership, providing continuity as the orchestra moves toward its centenary in 2032.
Canellakis has become one of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s most visible artistic partners in recent years, leading major programmes at London’s Royal Festival Hall as well as international tours. Her work with the orchestra has included acclaimed performances of symphonic repertoire ranging from Beethoven and Mahler to Shostakovich, alongside recordings for the LPO’s own label.
The conductor and orchestra were nominated for Tour of the Year at Germany’s Opus Klassik Awards following performances at venues including Vienna’s Musikverein and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. Their collaboration was also documented on a 2025 recording of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth and Sixth Symphonies.
In the LPO’s 2026/27 season, Canellakis will lead three major programmes as part of the orchestra’s In Search of Purpose series. The projects include performances of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Mahler’s First Symphony and Brahms’s First Symphony, as well as collaborations with violinists Christian Tetzlaff and Hilary Hahn and pianist Alice Sara Ott. She will also conduct the UK premiere of a new work by Japanese composer Dai Fujikura.
“ I truly love making music with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and am very happy to extend my time with this extraordinary orchestra as we continue our work together on exciting programmes and tours in the coming seasons,” said Canellakis in a statement announcing the extension.
Widely regarded as one of the leading conductors of her generation, Canellakis also serves as Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Alongside her symphonic work, she maintains a busy international opera career, appearing regularly at major houses including the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera and the Bavarian State Opera.
The extension reinforces Canellakis’s position as a central figure in the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s artistic life, ensuring that a relationship that has become one of the orchestra’s most successful collaborations of recent years will continue well into the next decade.
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