The New York Philharmonic announced on Monday that it had chosen a new president and chief executive: Matías Tarnopolsky, who currently leads the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Tarnopolsky, 54, a veteran arts leader who oversaw the merger of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in 2021, said he saw potential for an “auspicious new chapter” in New York, pointing to the arrival in 2026 of the star maestro Gustavo Dudamel.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help shape the future of the New York Philharmonic,” said Tarnopolsky, who begins an initial five-year contract in January. “I embrace it with all my heart.”
Tarnopolsky will take the helm of the Philharmonic, America’s oldest symphony orchestra, at a critical time.
The ensemble has been grappling with a series of challenges, including the sudden resignation in July of its previous chief executive, Gary Ginstling, after only a year on the job. Ginstling left amid friction with Dudamel, board members, staff and musicians. Since then, Deborah Borda, a veteran Philharmonic leader, has run the orchestra on an interim basis.
Borda, who led the orchestra from 2017 to 2023, has worked to stabilize the organization. After months of tense negotiations, the administration reached a labor deal in September with musicians, offering 30 percent raises over three years. And last month, the orchestra, hoping to bring to an end a long-running issue, dismissed two players over accusations of sexual misconduct.
Tarnopolsky said he agreed to take the job partly because the misconduct case seemed to be resolved for the moment. (The two players are considering further legal challenges.)
“We begin with a clean slate,” he said. “And that’s really important.”
Now, the Philharmonic hopes that Tarnopolsky can lay the groundwork for the arrival of Dudamel, whom the Philharmonic poached last year from Los Angeles in a major coup.
Tarnopolsky’s ties to Dudamel, whom he has known for about two decades, were an important factor in his selection, said Oscar L. Tang, a chair of the Philharmonic’s board.
“He has a strong relationship with Gustavo,” Tang said. “That was a very key part of why we feel this is the right move.”
The Philharmonic briefly considered Tarnopolsky as a successor to Borda in 2022, but he declined to take part in the search. The orchestra chose Ginstling, who was then leading the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington.
The Philharmonic’s leaders said they were confident that the transition would be smooth this time, citing Tarnopolsky’s experience running a large organization. (In Philadelphia, he manages both the orchestra and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.)
“He’s a proven quantity,” said Peter W. May, who leads the board with Tang. “He’s somebody we know is going to be successful.”
Dudamel signaled on Monday that he and Tarnopolsky were on the same page, describing an “extraordinary, shared vision.”
“He is someone who understands me innately, both as a musician and as a human,” Dudamel said in a statement. “We have a special chemistry, and I know he is the perfect choice for this position.”
Tarnopolsky’s departure is a loss for the Philadelphia Orchestra, which he has run since 2018. He helped the orchestra recover from a financial crisis that drove it into bankruptcy in 2011 and guided it through the tumult of the pandemic. During his tenure, he helped bring new audiences to the concert hall, increased fund-raising and managed several high-profile tours, including to China.
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s renowned music and artistic director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who joined the ensemble in 2012, said in a statement on Monday that he and Tarnopolsky had a “wonderful partnership.”
“The Philadelphia Orchestra is in an unparalleled position right now,” he said, “and I am grateful to Matías for the part he played in that.”
He added: “We are looking forward to many more years of sharing music of the highest caliber with audiences at home and around the world, in collaboration with the outstanding board and management team.”
Ralph W. Muller, chair of the Philadelphia Orchestra board, said in a statement that the ensemble would soon begin a search for a replacement. Ryan Fleur, the orchestra’s executive director, will serve as interim chief executive.
Before Philadelphia, Tarnopolsky held senior posts at the Chicago Symphony and Cal Performances, a performing arts organization at the University of California, Berkeley.
He also has roots at the New York Philharmonic, overseeing artistic planning there from 2005 to 2009. In that job, he helped organize the Philharmonic debut of Dudamel, who was then a 26-year-old rising conductor.
Tarnopolsky and Dudamel bonded over their ties to Latin America: Dudamel is from Venezuela, and Tarnopolsky was born in Argentina. They speak mostly in Spanish to each other.
Tarnopolsky recalled meeting Dudamel in a cafe in midtown Manhattan about 20 years ago, when he was preparing to become music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Tarnopolsky said he told the young maestro to keep the New York Philharmonic in mind.
“It’s a real full-circle moment,” Tarnopolsky said. “Returning to the New York Philharmonic, which gave me such good memories and experiences, is very moving.”
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