Lucerne Festival has announced that Riccardo Chailly will extend his contract as Music Director through 2028.

The festival announced that the agreement reached between Chailly and Lucerne Festival, which had previously covered performances through the summer of 2026, now also includes international tour projects and future collaborations with the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra. Chailly will also continue to lead concerts in the Spring and Summer Festivals, including the official opening.

Chailly has served as Music Director of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra since 2016.

The Festival’s Executive and Artistic Director Sebastian Nordmann said, “I am delighted that we have been able to extend Riccardo Chailly’s tenure as Music Director of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. This also reflects the express wish of the musicians themselves. In their acclaimed performances in recent years, it has become unmistakably clear how deeply he has grown together with the musicians and how impressively he has continued to shape the orchestra’s artistic profile – with the Rachmaninoff cycle in recent years, as well as in works by Ravel, Strauss, and Wagner.

“With the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, after ten years of collaboration, we share not only a deep musical understanding but also a personal friendship. So it’s a joy for me to think that our relationship will continue for the next three seasons. I really look forward to our continued work together with the new Director Sebastian Nordmann as we expand our repertoire, take some risks, and embark on new musical adventures. This orchestra loves challenges – and that is a great source of inspiration for me,” Chailly added.

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