Tugan Sokhiev appointed music director of the NHK Symphony Orchestra

The conductor will begin a three-year term in September 2028, extending a relationship with the Tokyo orchestra that began in 2008.

The NHK Symphony Orchestra has appointed Tugan Sokhiev as its next music director, beginning in September 2028 at the start of the 2028/29 season. Announced on October 30, the appointment carries an initial three-year contract.

Sokhiev will become the orchestra’s third music director, formalising an artistic partnership built over almost two decades. He first conducted the ensemble in October 2008, in a programme that included Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony, and made his subscription concert debut in November 2013. He has returned regularly since then.

A longstanding partnership

In a statement accompanying the announcement, Sokhiev praised the orchestra’s distinctive identity, versatility and musicianship. He described their relationship as having developed naturally through repeated collaborations, and Tokyo as a place where he can concentrate fully on making music.

The appointment comes as the NHK Symphony Orchestra celebrates its centenary. Sokhiev returns in November for three weeks of concerts, with programmes including Shostakovich’s Eighth Symphony, Beethoven’s Second and Sixth symphonies, and Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto with Alexandre Kantorow.

Sokhiev began his tenure as principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande this season. His previous positions include leadership roles at the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre.

Sokhiev was also in the news this week when the Vienna Philharmonic announced the programme for its 2027 New Year’s Concert , which he will conduct for the first time.