(Credit: Riccardo Chailly’s official website)

Maestro Riccardo Chailly’s contract as the Music Director of l’Orchestre du Festival de Lucerne has been extended until the end of 2026.

Riccardo Chailly currently serves as the Music Director of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. In his long and fruitful career, Maestro Chailly served as the first music director of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, a position he held until 2005.

In August 2005, the Italian conductor officially became the Chief Conductor of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and General Music Director of the Oper Leipzig.

Riccardo Chailly’s other notable engagements include the positions of the Principal Guest Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Chief Conductor of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Chief Conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, among others.

“Having the opportunity to continue conducting l’Orchestre du Festival de Lucerne fills me with pride,” said Chailly in a statement. “I still believe that preserving the extraordinary sound of this orchestra is an important task, as it is the impressive artistic legacy of Claudio Abbado. At the same time, it is important to explore new artistic horizons in the future for these outstanding musicians and to open up new musical worlds for audiences.”