(© WDR/Julia Wesely)

The WDR Sinfonieorchester has named Marie Jacquot as its new Chief Conductor. She is set to begin her tenure in the summer of 2026.

Jacquot’s contract runs for four years.

“I worked with the orchestra for the first time in December 2022 and we immediately connected both musically and personally. I am thrilled by the stylistic versatility of the ensemble and, above all, by its absolute will to achieve the best quality possible,” said Jacquot, who is the Principal Guest Conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and was named Chief Conductor Designate of the Royal Danish Theatre, in an official press statement.

She will take over for Cristian Măcelaru, who will remain Chief Conductor until 2025 before becoming Artistic Partner of the orchestra during the 2025-26 season.

 “We are proud to have won a chief conductor for the WDR Sinfonieorchester who can already look back on a remarkable career,” said the public broadcaster’s General Manager Tom Buhrow in an official press release. “Our symphony orchestra has built up an excellent reputation in the international music scene. Marie Jacquot will further strengthen our artistic development, inspiring the people of North Rhine-Westphalia and beyond with classical music.”

Jacquot’s resume includes performances with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Deutsches Symphonieorchester Berlin, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.