The Orchestre de Paris has announced that Sarah Nemtanu will become its new concertmaster on 1 January 2026.
An internationally recognised violinist, Nemtanu has served as concertmaster of the Orchestre National de France since 2002, while also building a career as soloist and chamber musician. Her appointment in Paris follows several recent collaborations with the orchestra under Klaus Mäkelä, including Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 in October 2024, Bach’s Mass in B minor in April 2025, and Brahms and Berwald programmes with Herbert Blomstedt in May 2025. She also performed Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony with Esa-Pekka Salonen in November 2024.
In October 2024, Mäkelä also joined her in chamber music at the Philharmonie de Paris, further strengthening her ties with the ensemble. The position of concertmaster had remained vacant since the retirement of Roland Daugareil in 2021 and the passing of Philippe Aïche in 2022.
Before taking up the post officially in 2026, Nemtanu will appear as concertmaster of the Orchestre de Paris during its 2025–26 season, including the upcoming Lucerne Festival, Berlin Philharmonie, and Hamburg Elbphilharmonie tour with Esa-Pekka Salonen. She will also perform at the Philharmonie de Paris under Daniel Barenboim (October 2025), Salonen (November 2025), and Mäkelä (December 2025). In addition, she will serve on two recruitment juries for new orchestra members this year.
The new role also brings her closer to her sister, Deborah Nemtanu, who is concertmaster of the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, also in residence at the Philharmonie. Sarah Nemtanu teaches violin at the Conservatoire de Paris.
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