Biography
Conductor
Jaap van Zweden
Jaap van Zweden began his tenure as the 26th music director of the New York Philharmonic in September 2018 and inaugurated the new David Geffen Hall in October 2022. He also serves as music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, a post he has held since 2012, and becomes music director of the Seoul Philharmonic in 2024. He has appeared as a guest with Orchestre de Paris, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, among many others. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in October 2012.
In 2023–24, Mr. van Zweden’s New York Philharmonic farewell season celebrates his connection with the orchestra’s musicians with six principal players appearing as concerto soloists. As a guest conductor, he appears this season with the Chicago Symphony, Vienna Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Staatskapelle Berlin, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Zürich Tonhalle Orchestra, and Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Mr. van Zweden’s New York Philharmonic recordings include the world premiere of David Lang’s prisoner of the state and Julia Wolfe’s Grammy-nominated Fire in my mouth, both released on Decca Gold. He conducted the Hong Kong Philharmonic in Wagner’s Ring Cycle, released on Naxos, and his acclaimed performances of Lohengrin, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and Parsifal—the last of which earned him the Edison Award for Best Opera Recording—are available on CD and DVD.
Born in Amsterdam, Mr. van Zweden was appointed the youngest-ever concertmaster of the Concertgebouw Orchestra and began his conducting career in 1996. In April 2023 he received the Concertgebouw Prize for exceptional contributions to that organization’s artistic profile. He remains conductor emeritus of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and honorary chief conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic. He previously served as chief conductor of the Royal Flanders Orchestra and as music director of the Dallas Symphony. Under his leadership, the Hong Kong Philharmonic was named Gramophone’s Orchestra of the Year in 2019. He was named Musical America’s 2012 Conductor of the Year and was the subject of a 60 Minutes profile. In 1997 Mr. Zweden and his wife, Aaltje, established the Papageno Foundation to support families of children with autism.
In 2023–24, Mr. van Zweden’s New York Philharmonic farewell season celebrates his connection with the orchestra’s musicians with six principal players appearing as concerto soloists. As a guest conductor, he appears this season with the Chicago Symphony, Vienna Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Staatskapelle Berlin, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Zürich Tonhalle Orchestra, and Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Mr. van Zweden’s New York Philharmonic recordings include the world premiere of David Lang’s prisoner of the state and Julia Wolfe’s Grammy-nominated Fire in my mouth, both released on Decca Gold. He conducted the Hong Kong Philharmonic in Wagner’s Ring Cycle, released on Naxos, and his acclaimed performances of Lohengrin, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and Parsifal—the last of which earned him the Edison Award for Best Opera Recording—are available on CD and DVD.
Born in Amsterdam, Mr. van Zweden was appointed the youngest-ever concertmaster of the Concertgebouw Orchestra and began his conducting career in 1996. In April 2023 he received the Concertgebouw Prize for exceptional contributions to that organization’s artistic profile. He remains conductor emeritus of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and honorary chief conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic. He previously served as chief conductor of the Royal Flanders Orchestra and as music director of the Dallas Symphony. Under his leadership, the Hong Kong Philharmonic was named Gramophone’s Orchestra of the Year in 2019. He was named Musical America’s 2012 Conductor of the Year and was the subject of a 60 Minutes profile. In 1997 Mr. Zweden and his wife, Aaltje, established the Papageno Foundation to support families of children with autism.