Nashville Symphony Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero Appointed
Principal Guest Conductor of Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon
Guerrero will conduct Portuguese ensemble up to four weeks each year beginning in 2018
Nashville, TN. (November 16, 2017) — Nashville Symphony music director Giancarlo Guerrero has been appointed principal guest conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon, Portugal, and will begin a three-year run in August 2018, during which he will conduct the ensemble up to four weeks annually. The Gulbenkian appointment is Guerrero’s second European posting this year and follows an announcement in June that he has been named music director of the Wrocław Philharmonic in Poland.
A five-time GRAMMY® winner who has overseen a highly productive and successful period for Music City’s resident orchestra, Guerrero will continue to serve as the Nashville Symphony’s music director, a post he has held since 2009 and to which he is committed through the 2024-25 season.
“Gulbenkian was the first orchestra I conducted in Europe, so it has a special place in my heart. Returning as principal guest conductor feels a bit like coming home,” said Guerrero. “There was wonderful chemistry with the musicians from the very first concert I performed with them more than a decade ago, and they have been so welcoming every time I have returned. They took a chance on me as a young conductor, and I remain grateful for that.”
“I have also fallen in love with Lisbon and the Gulbenkian Foundation, a cultural cornerstone of the city which is constantly forging connections beyond its own walls and into the community,” Guerrero added. “The same can be said about the virtuosic and deeply committed members of the orchestra who are true ambassadors for the institution.”
“This latest news — following his appointment in Wrocław, Poland — affirms what we’ve known in Nashville for many years: Maestro Guerrero is a dynamic and engaging conductor on the podium, and a phenomenal, forward-thinking collaborator behind the scenes,” said Alan D. Valentine, Nashville Symphony president & CEO. “The Gulbenkian Orchestra has long been celebrated for its artistic excellence, its wide-ranging programming and its impressive discography, and I feel confident that Maestro Guerrero will add considerably to this storied ensemble’s legacy while continuing to deliver the stunning performances that audiences here in Nashville and around the world have come to expect.”
The Gulbenkian Orchestra was formed in 1962 as part of the Gulbenkian Foundation, an organization established to foster knowledge and raise the quality of life through the arts, charity, science and education. The orchestra performs at the Gulbenkian Grand Auditorium in Lisbon and throughout Portugal, as well as on tour in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. The orchestra has recorded for Philips, Deutsche Grammophon, Hyperion, Teldec, Erato, Naïve and Pentatone, and has been recognized with several prestigious international prizes.
Guerrero joins the Orchestra as principal guest conductor at the same time that French-Swiss conductor Lorenzo Viotti will take the helm as principal conductor and music director.
The GRAMMY® Award-winning Nashville Symphony has earned an international reputation for its innovative programming and its commitment to performing, recording and commissioning works by America’s leading composers. The Nashville Symphony has released 28 recordings on Naxos, which have received 20 GRAMMY® nominations and 11 GRAMMY® Awards, making it one of the most active recording orchestras in the country. The orchestra has also released recordings on Decca, Deutsche Grammophon and New West Records, among other labels. With more than 140 performances annually, the orchestra offers a broad range of classical, pops and jazz, and children’s concerts, while its extensive education and community engagement programs reach 60,000 children and adults each year.
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