The Royal Scottish National Orchestra has announced the appointment of Giedrė Šlekytė as its next Music Director from the beginning of the 2027–28 season, succeeding Thomas Søndergård, who will become Music Director Emeritus after nearly two decades of association with the orchestra.
Šlekytė, currently one of the most visible conductors of her generation on the European operatic and symphonic scene, was described by RSNO Chief Executive Alistair Mackie as an artist who created an immediate connection with the orchestra during her debut appearances.
“There are weeks in rehearsals when something shifts,” Mackie said in the orchestra’s announcement. “A buzz starts, momentum builds. You can feel it coming from the musicians themselves. And when it does happen, our audiences can feel it too. That’s what happened with Giedrė.”
Her debut with the orchestra came last year in performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, followed by recording sessions that appear to have consolidated the relationship between conductor and orchestra.
Born in Vilnius, Lithuania, Šlekytė studied conducting in Graz, Leipzig and Zurich, and participated in masterclasses with Bernard Haitink and Riccardo Muti. In recent seasons, she has built a major international career in both opera and symphonic repertoire, appearing with institutions including the Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, Royal Ballet and Opera Covent Garden, Staatsoper Berlin and Oper Frankfurt.
Her upcoming engagements include new productions at Deutsche Oper Berlin and MusikTheater an der Wien, as well as symphonic debuts with the Oslo Philharmonic and the RAI National Symphony Orchestra Torino. She also drew international attention in 2023 when she stepped in for Daniel Barenboim at short notice to conduct a Brahms cycle with Staatskapelle Berlin in Toronto, marking her North American debut.
The announcement also marks a significant transition for Søndergård, whose relationship with the RSNO began with his debut 18 years ago. Appointed Principal Guest Conductor in 2012, he later became Music Director in 2018 and led the orchestra on international tours across Europe and the United States. This month, he and the orchestra tour China with performances in Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai and Tianjin.
In a statement released by the orchestra, Søndergård said: “I’m honoured to be opening yet another chapter in my long relationship with this wonderful orchestra. The RSNO has been, and will continue to be, enormously important in both my artistic and personal life.”
Although stepping down from the chief position, Søndergård will continue conducting the orchestra regularly from the 2027–28 season onward, leading four programmes in Scotland as Music Director Emeritus.
The appointment of Šlekytė continues a broader trend of major orchestras placing younger European conductors in leading artistic positions, while also reflecting the increasing international prominence of Lithuanian conductors in recent decades. Alongside Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, with whom she collaborated on recordings of Lithuanian contemporary music, Šlekytė has become one of the strongest advocates for Lithuanian repertoire on international stages.
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