“Hong Kong Philharmonic music director Jaap van Zweden signed a new extension of his contract today, which will add three years, from 2019 to 2022,” writes Alexis Alrich in Thursday’s (6/9) South China Morning Post (Hong Kong). “He will also be the next music director of the New York Philharmonic beginning in the 2017-18 season, so will be leading both ensembles at the same time…. Van Zweden has conducted the top orchestras in the United States, including the Chicago Symphony and the Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras; and in Europe, including the London Symphony and the Munich, Berlin and Vienna philharmonics. He was named Musical America Conductor of the Year in 2012. ‘A lot of people are really thrilled to have Jaap continue on,’ said trombone player Jarod Vermette, a 20-year veteran of the ensemble. ‘I feel it’s the best relationship we have had with a music director. Jaap gets a lot of respect.’ … His vision for the orchestra in the years beyond 2019 will include more opera…. Also on the agenda is more tours abroad, including to the US and Australia. In New York, he predicts that his choice of repertoire will surprise those who consider him mainly an exponent of Central European classics.”
Posted June 10, 2016
