The Lucerne Festival has announced a new Executive and Artistic Director.

The festival said that Sebastian Nordmann will take the position on Jan. 1, 2026, succeeding Michael Haefliger, who, as previously announced, will conclude his directorship of the Festival at the end of 2025 ; he held the position for 26 years.

Nordmann has been Director of the Konzerthaus and Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin since 2009. He is also a PhD for a thesis about the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival’s influence on the musical landscape of Schleswig-Holstein.

After two years with the “The Boston Consulting Group,” he took the position of the director of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festspiele in 2002. In 2008, he was appointed Professor for Music Management/Career Development at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Rostock.