Barbara Hannigan has been appointed Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra for an initial period of three seasons, starting in late 2026.

The soprano / conductor first collaborated with the ensemble in 2022 at the Reykjavík Arts Festival. She renewed the relationship in June 2023 and recently performed with the ensemble again in April 2024.

“Always curious, courageous and creative, the players of the ISO are dedicated to working at the highest level,” Hannigan said in an official press release. “Their technical excellence co-exists alongside their wonderful imagination. In working with the ISO, I have felt the desire and possibility, for the first time, to consider a position as Chief Conductor. It is a matter of creative chemistry and collective timing that drives us to embark on this new path, together.”

Hannigan remains the Principal Guest Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and is an Associate Artist with the London Symphony Orchestra. She is also set to become Principal Guest Conductor with teh Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne at the start of the 2024-25 season and is also scheduled to continue appearances with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, and Munich Philharmonic.

As a soprano, she is slated to take on performances of “La Voix Humaine” in Naples followed by performances at the Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi.