The Nashville Symphony has announced that Leonard Slatkin will serve as its next Music Director for a three-year term, beginning in August 2026 and continuing through July 2029. The appointment elevates Slatkin from his current role as Music Advisor and places him at the artistic helm of the orchestra during a period marked by multiple anniversaries and institutional transition.
Slatkin will assume the position with the 2026/27 season, a year that will include celebrations for the orchestra’s 80th anniversary, the 20th anniversary of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
A return and a promotion
Slatkin previously served as Music Advisor to the orchestra from 2006 to 2009, including during the opening of Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and returned to that advisory role in 2025. According to the Symphony, the renewed collaboration led both the conductor and the Music Director Search Committee to conclude that formalising his leadership as Music Director would provide greater artistic clarity and continuity.
As Music Director, Slatkin will conduct six of the 14 Classical Series programmes in the 2026/27 season and will oversee broader artistic planning, including education and community engagement initiatives.
In statements accompanying the announcement, Symphony President and CEO Alan D. Valentine described the appointment as a moment of stability and direction for the organisation, particularly as he approaches his own retirement this July. Concertmaster Peter Otto and Board Chair Mary Cavarra also emphasised continuity and experience as central to the decision.
For Slatkin, the appointment signals both continuity and renewal. “Twenty years ago, I was fortunate enough to be involved with the opening of Schermerhorn Symphony Center,” he said. “Now, I feel this is the right time and place for me to be.”
A seventh music directorship
With Nashville, Slatkin assumes his seventh music directorship. His previous leadership posts include the New Orleans Symphony, the St Louis Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre national de Lyon.
Born in Los Angeles in 1944 into a family of professional musicians — his father, Felix Slatkin, founded the Hollywood String Quartet — Slatkin studied at Indiana University and the Juilliard School. Over the course of a career spanning six decades, he has combined orchestral leadership with recording projects, broadcasting, writing, and composition.
He is widely associated with advocacy for American music and has held prominent guest conducting engagements with major ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the NHK Symphony Orchestra, among others. His recordings have earned multiple GRAMMY Awards, and he has published books on conducting and musical leadership.
Slatkin’s tenure in Detroit was particularly noted for stabilising the orchestra following a prolonged labour dispute and for expanding its digital reach through innovative live webcasts — a model that may offer insight into how Nashville continues to balance artistic ambition with community presence.
Institutional context
Founded in 1946, the Nashville Symphony presents nearly 200 concerts each year, ranging from core symphonic repertoire to contemporary works, jazz, film scores, and family programming. The orchestra has earned 14 GRAMMY Awards and 27 nominations, and maintains a strong profile in American contemporary music through premieres and recordings.
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