Jaap van Zweden to Take Over at Radio France Following NYPhil Post

Conductor Jaap van Zweden holding batonwith black backround. — Jaap van Zweden (Photo: Arsis Management)

This summer, the conductor Jaap van Zweden’s term at the New York Philharmonic comes to an end. But he certainly won’t be retiring. The 63-year-old conductor just announced that he will take over as music director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France for five years, beginning in 2026.

The backstory: The Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden began his career as a violinist. At 19, he was concertmaster of the Concertgebouw orchestra before moving into conducting after Leonard Bernstein asked him to try his hand at conducting an orchestra in Berlin. He has been leading the New York Philharmonic since the 2018-2019 season as well as the Seoul Philharmonic and the Hong Kong Philharmonic.

The gut punch: Despite his formidable talents, Van Zweden’s tenure at the NYPhil has been one of the shortest in the organization’s history. Hopefully, he stays a little longer in France!

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Sara Schabas

Sara Schabas is a Dora-nominated soprano, writer and yoga teacher. She has performed and created leading roles with companies including Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, the Dayton Opera, and Aspen Opera, and is a former member of Barbara Hannigan’s Equilibrium Young Artists. Currently based in Montreal, she is a doctoral student at McGill University — where she recently received the Wirth Vocal Prize — and editor of Art Song Canada magazine.