The conductor and composer will succeed Jaime Martín in the 2027–28 season, while continuing as Music Director of the Kansas City Symphony.
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra has appointed Matthias Pintscher as its next Music Director, beginning with the 2027–28 season. He will serve as Music Director Designate during 2026–27 before starting an initial four-year term.
Pintscher will succeed Jaime Martín, who has led LACO since 2019 and will become Music Director Laureate following the conclusion of his tenure. The appointment makes Pintscher the seventh Music Director in the orchestra’s history.
The German conductor and composer is already a familiar figure to both the orchestra and its musicians. His relationship with LACO dates back to 2018, when he served as Artist-in-Residence. Since then, he has conducted the ensemble in repertoire including Berlioz, Debussy, Fauré, Ravel and Mahler, while also curating programmes featuring composers such as Gérard Grisey, Alban Berg and Iannis Xenakis.
“I am deeply honored to step into the role of Music Director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble I have long admired,” Pintscher said. He described his previous work with LACO as the foundation for what he hopes will become “a lasting and meaningful partnership.”
His first season as Music Director will also coincide with a significant moment for the orchestra: LACO is preparing to move into the new Terri and Jerry Kohl Hall at the Colburn School, scheduled to open in autumn 2027.
A dual US commitment
Pintscher will take on the Los Angeles position while remaining Music Director of the Kansas City Symphony, which he has led since the 2024–25 season. His contract there was recently extended through the 2033–34 season, meaning he will hold both American music directorships concurrently. He is also Creative Partner of the Cincinnati Symphony.
The appointment also brings to LACO a conductor with particularly strong credentials in contemporary music. Pintscher spent a decade as Music Director of Paris’s Ensemble Intercontemporain, from 2013 to 2023, and previously held positions with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra.
Alongside his conducting career, Pintscher has maintained an extensive career as a composer. His music has been performed by ensembles including the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Two of his works are due to receive world premieres during the 2026–27 season.
Before taking the helm
Before formally taking over the orchestra, Pintscher will return to LACO on 23 and 25 April 2027 for a programme combining Haydn’s Trauer Symphony, Kayhan Kalhor’s Blue as the Turquoise Night of Neyshabur and Mozart’s Linz Symphony.
Subscribe to our newsletter