By Steve Wright

Published: Wednesday, 25 January 2023 at 12:00 am


The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra has announced that its next music director will be Julian Rachlin. The conductor will begin his tenure in October 2023, during the orchestra’s 85th anniversary celebrations.

Rachlin has been a much-respected conductor, soloist, chamber musician and producer for more than 30 years: he has also served  as artistic director of various music festivals.

‘I’m immensely grateful and excited to take on this new role,’ Rachlin says. ‘Having performed regularly in Israel over the last 35 years, the trust the musicians and the city of Jerusalem have placed in me is particularly meaningful. I’m incredibly fortunate to work with such highly skilled artists and such a highly motivated team in a city where I feel very much at home, and can’t wait to embark on this joint musical journey.’

In addition to his new role in Jerusalem, Rachlin is currently chief conductor of the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra in Norway,  principal guest conductor of Finland’s Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, and artistic director of the Herbstgold Festival at the Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt, Austria.

Julian Rachlin pic by Vasilka Balevska