Esa-Pekka Salonen
(c) Andrew Eccles
Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen will leave the San Francisco Symphony following the 2024-25 season, announcing his departure with a statement critical of the orchestra’s leadership. “I do not share the same goals for the future of the institution as the board of governors does,” Salonen said in a statement.
Salonen, who turns 66 in June, was hired in December 2018 to start with the 2020-21 season and follow the 25-year tenure of Michael Tilson Thomas.
Salonen was principal conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1984-95 and music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1992-2009. He was principal conductor and artistic adviser for London’s Philharmonia from 2008–21.
