Philzuid has announced that it is extending its collaboration with Chief Conductor Duncan Ward through the 2027-28 season.

Ward took the position in the autumn of 2021, with his initial contract set to run until the orchestra’s 10th anniversary season in 2023-24. It was extended last April until the summer of 2026 with an option for further renewal.

In a statement, newly appointed Managing Director Mette Laugs said, “I am very happy that Philzuid and Duncan will continue their collaboration for a longer period. Duncan has the ambition to present magnificent repertoire at the highest level in the concert halls of Southern Netherlands and beyond. But his vision extends much further: he strives to inspire and engage a wide and diverse audience. He also wants to reach people who have not yet encountered classical music, and he sees it as his personal mission to play an active and unifying role in that.”

Ward added, “I feel the connection with the orchestra deepen from project to project, year to year, and this has resulted in many thrilling musical highlights. The flexibility, fire and finesse with which in 2024 alone they have embraced such diverse soundworlds as Bartók’s ‘Bluebeard’s Castle,’ Strauss’ Alpine Symphony or Jenny Peña Campo’s Cuban Suite (to be released on our forthcoming CD) is really exciting. With this growing mutual trust, understanding and passion for music making, I am looking forward to us climbing to even greater heights in the coming years, creating many memorable moments for our audiences of all ages and backgrounds, at home and abroad.”

Ward has established himself as one of the most exciting and versatile conductors of his generation having conducted the London Symphony, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Finnish Radio Symphony, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, and Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg. He has also conducted the Metropolitan Opera, Zurich Opera, Oper Köln, English National Opera, and Stuttgart Staatsoper.