The Vienna Philharmonic has announced that Tugan Sokhiev will conduct the New Year’s Concert 2027, marking his first appearance on the podium for the orchestra’s most internationally visible annual event.
The invitation follows a long-standing artistic relationship between Sokhiev and the Vienna Philharmonic, which began in 2009 during an Asian tour and has since included subscription concerts in Vienna, international tours, and major special projects. In June 2025, Sokhiev made his debut at the Vienna Philharmonic’s celebrated Summer Night Concert at Schönbrunn Palace, as well as the gala concert marking the 200th anniversary of Johann Strauss II.
Born in Vladikavkaz in 1977, Sokhiev trained at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory and went on to build an international career spanning both symphonic and operatic repertoire. He has held prominent posts including music director of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and music director of the Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse. In 2022, he resigned from both positions, citing pressure to take a public stance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Since then, his international activity has continued primarily as a guest conductor.
Commenting on the appointment, Vienna Philharmonic chairman Daniel Froschauer described Sokhiev as a long-standing musical partner of the orchestra and highlighted the mutual trust developed over more than a decade of collaboration.
After Nézet-Séguin’s 2026 New Year’s Concert
The announcement was made immediately after the 2026 New Year’s Concert, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin at Vienna’s Musikverein.
For Nézet-Séguin, the 2026 concert marked his debut at the New Year’s Concert, a milestone he described in personal terms on social media, recalling how he once conducted along to recordings of the event as a child before finally realising that ambition on the Musikverein podium.
The New Year’s Concert remains one of the Vienna Philharmonic’s most closely watched traditions, broadcast worldwide to millions of viewers, with each conducting appointment closely scrutinised as both an artistic and symbolic choice.
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