Orozco-Estrada named as LPO's new principal guest conductor

The London Philharmonic Orchestra has today announced the appointment of Andrés Orozco-Estrada as its new principal guest conductor.

Orozco-Estrada will take up his role in September 2015, when the six-year tenure of Canadian Yannick Nézet-Séguin closes at the end of the current season.

The 36-year-old Orozco-Estrada was born in Colombia and trained in Vienna. He first worked with the London Philharmonic Orchestra just two months ago, in November 2013 conducting a major tour of Germany. He is currently music director of the Tonkünstler Orchestra, a position he will step down from in the summer of 2015, and between 2009 and 2013 he was principal conductor at the Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi (Basque National Orchestra). He is also music director designate of Houston Symphony and chief conductor designate of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, and for the 14/15 season, will be music director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra and chief conductor of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. He is currently based in Vienna, where he lives with his wife and daughter.

He makes his Royal Festival Hall debut with the orchestra on 29 January, conducting Kodály's Dances of Galánta, Grieg's Piano Concerto and Dvorák's Symphony No 7, and in June he makes his Glyndebourne debut with Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Timothy Walker, chief executive of the LPO said: "When I first heard Andrés conduct I was immediately struck by his remarkable energy, electrifying conducting, and sheer ability to radiate the joy of music-making to both the orchestra and audience. I have continued to watch and be impressed by him … We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership."

Andrés Orozco-Estrada declared himself "immensely proud" of the appointment.

"The LPO is a superb orchestra and combines its long tradition with many forward-looking projects. On our recent tour to Germany we felt an immediate connection and I look forward to working with the orchestra regularly in the seasons ahead and also at Glyndebourne this summer in Don Giovanni," he said.