Myung-Whun Chung next Music Director in 2027

Maestro Myung-Whun Chung will succeed Maestro Riccardo Chailly as Music Director. Maestro Chung's appointment will take effect upon the expiry of Maestro Chailly's contract at the end of 2026.

Myung-Whun Chung

Maestro Myung-Whun Chung has, over the years, developed a particularly close and fruitful relationship with both the Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro alla Scala, as well as with the Filarmonica della Scala, which appointed him its Honorary Conductor, the first Maestro ever to hold this position. He is also one of the most beloved artists among the Milanese public, as evidenced by the enthusiastic response to the concerts held on March 17, 19 and 21, and is the conductor who has most contributed to the international prestige of the Teatro alla Scala, excluding its Music Directors. In this, he follows in the footsteps of his mentor, Carlo Maria Giulini, who led the Filarmonica’s first international tours. Not by chance, Maestro Chung was the protagonist of one of La Scala’s most recent international opera tours, conducting Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra at the Bol’šoj Theatre in Moscow in 2016, while a new orchestral tour in Asia will be announced soon.

Maestro Chung, who besides being a conductor is also an accomplished pianist, has been a constant presence in La Scala’s seasons in Milan and on tour since 1989, conducting nine opera productions over 84 performances and 141 concerts (in this regard as well, he holds the record for the highest number of appearances, apart from the official Music Directors). A leading interpreter of Verdi, he has also distinguished himself at La Scala for the breadth of his repertoire, having conducted works by Dmitrij Šostakovič (Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, 1992), Richard Strauss (Salome, 1995), Giacomo Puccini (Madama Butterfly, 2007), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Idomeneo, 2009), Giuseppe Verdi (Simon Boccanegra in 2016 and 2018; Don Carlo, 2017; La traviata, 2019), Carl Maria von Weber (Der Freischütz, 2017) and Ludwig van Beethoven (Fidelio, 2018).

Among the many positions held by Maestro Chung are Principal Guest Conductor of the Dresden Staatskapelle (the first ever to hold this position); Honorary Music Director of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France in Paris and the KBS (Korean Broadcasting System); his recent appointment as Artistic Director of the new Busan Opera and Concert Hall in South Korea.

In the past, Maestro Chung has been Music Director of the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Teatro Comunale di Firenze, Principal Conductor of the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and Music Director of the Opéra de Paris-Bastille. Over the course of his career, he has conducted many of the world’s most renowned orchestras across Europe, Asia and the United States.

Maestro Chung has received numerous awards and honors, including the title of Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur from the French Government, Commendatore dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia and Grande Ufficiale dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana from the Italian Government and the Abbiati Prize for conducting at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and with the Filarmonica della Scala. He has also been awarded the keys to the city of Venice and, in 2024, the keys to the city of Florence. He was honored with the Keumkwan, the highest cultural distinction awarded by the Korean Government. In 2008, Myung-Whun Chung became the first conductor ever to be appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF.