Leonidas Kavakos Named Principal Guest Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra

Music Director Thomas Søndergård and the Minnesota Orchestra announced today that conductor-violinist Leonidas Kavakos has been appointed the Orchestra’s principal guest conductor. Beginning in fall 2027, the three-year appointment will feature Kavakos in three weeks of subscription concerts each season, including conducting the Orchestra at least twice a season, alongside appearing in additional concerts and artistic projects as soloist or chamber music collaborator. Athens-born Kavakos has a long history with the Minnesota Orchestra, debuting with the Orchestra in 1995; he most recently appeared as soloist and conductor in October 2025 performances.

“We are very happy to welcome Leonidas Kavakos into this new role,” said Music Director Thomas Søndergård. “He is an artist of great integrity and creativity who will bring conviction, passion and interesting projects to our Orchestra and audiences. I know he will contribute substantially to the musical vitality of the organization, and I’m looking forward to our first collaboration.” Søndergård will lead concerts with Kavakos appearing as violin soloist in May 2028.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Minnesota Orchestra as its principal guest conductor,” said Leonidas Kavakos. “As a young music student still forming a musical identity, I was deeply inspired by the Minnesota Orchestra’s recordings with the legendary Dimitri Mitropoulos. The Orchestra produces a sound of rare warmth and flexibility, an element that has impressed me since my debut as a soloist in the 1990s. Through the years, it has been my great pleasure to share the stage with its wonderful musicians in all of our performances together, including at Carnegie Hall.

“I first conducted the Orchestra in 2023 and the rehearsals and performances were pure joy. I felt an immediate chemistry with my colleagues, and together we've found the sense of expressive freedom that every musician aims for. As principal guest conductor, I am tremendously looking forward to working more in depth with this fantastic Orchestra and creating powerful musical experiences for the city of Minneapolis. Finally, I want to express my gratitude to Music Director Thomas Søndergård, President and CEO Isaac Thompson, and Vice President of Artistic Planning Erik Finley, for their trust and support in welcoming me into the Minnesota Orchestra family!”

Kavakos made his performance debut with the Minnesota Orchestra in March 1995, playing the Stravinsky Violin Concerto. He returned over the next five years for 16 performances across the season and summer and has been a regular soloist ever since, including appearing with the Orchestra in performances of the Sibelius Violin Concerto at Carnegie Hall in May 2009. He first conducted the Minnesota Orchestra in a May 2023 program featuring Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 and Bach’s Violin Concerto No. 1. His most recent appearance, last October, saw him leading Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 15.

“It has been 40 years since the Minnesota Orchestra has appointed a principal guest conductor, and we are thrilled to revisit the position with an artist of Leonidas Kavakos’ caliber and brilliance,” said President and CEO Isaac Thompson. “His connection to the Minnesota Orchestra runs deep, and a dynamic rapport clearly existed between him and the Orchestra when they collaborated last fall. I’m excited to see this tremendous potential unfold as Leonidas partners with Thomas Søndergård and the outstanding players of the Minnesota Orchestra.”

Historically, Leonard Slatkin held the principal guest conductor role from 1975 to 1979 and following him, Klaus Tennstedt served in the position from 1979 to 1982 and Charles Dutoit from 1983 to 1986.

“The musicians of the Orchestra are delighted by this new chapter in our relationship with Leonidas Kavakos,” said violinist Emily Switzer, who serves as chair of the Minnesota Orchestra Members Committee. “It's been such a pleasure in recent seasons to experience his artistry as a conductor in addition to his charismatic violin playing. He is a uniquely imaginative and inspiring musician—our recent performance of Shostakovich's thorny and experimental Symphony No. 15 under Kavakos’ direction was a musical highlight for many members of the Orchestra—and we look forward to all that this new partnership will bring.”

BIOGRAPHIES

Leonidas Kavakos 

Leonidas Kavakos is recognized across the world as an artist of rare quality. Acclaimed for his captivating artistry, superb musicianship, matchless technique and the integrity of his playing and interpretations, Kavakos performs with the world’s leading orchestras as both soloist and conductor, and in recital at the world’s premier venues. In 2022, he founded the ApollΩn Ensemble, a chamber group of elite Greek musicians who are in increasing demand internationally and in 2025 he takes over as the artistic director of the “Classic Revolution” Festival at Lotte Concert Hall, Seoul.

Highlights of Kavakos’ 2025-26 season include performances with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, NHK Symphony, NDR Symphony, Santa Cecilia, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and conducting engagements with Czech Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Barcelona Symphony and Minnesota Orchestra. Kavakos is also artist in residence at the Dallas Symphony this season where he will appear as both a soloist and conductor. He appears in recital in London, Milan, Oslo, Budapest, Zagreb and elsewhere; with the ApollΩn Ensemble, he performs at the Edinburgh International, Verbier and Santander festivals, London’s Wigmore Hall and Vienna’s Musikverein.

As a conductor, Kavakos has appeared with many of the world’s most distinguished orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Dallas Symphony and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, where he made his North American conducting debut. In Europe, Kavakos has conducted the Vienna Symphony, London’s Philharmonia, London Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Danish National Symphony, Dresden Staatskapelle, Israel Philharmonic, Barcelona Symphony, Bayerischer Rundfunk and Chamber Orchestra of Europe, among others. Beginning in the 2027-28 season, Kavakos will be the principal guest conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra.

Kavakos’ extensive and award-winning discography includes the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Riccardo Chailly (Decca), and the Beethoven Violin Concerto, which he also conducted with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Sony Classical). He was named ECHO Klassik Instrumentalist of the Year for his recording of the complete Beethoven Sonatas with Enrico Pace. With Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma, Kavakos has released a series of trio recordings to the highest critical acclaim. With the ApollΩn Ensemble, he has recorded Bach’s Violin Concertos.

Kavakos curates an annual violin and chamber music masterclass in Athens, where he was born and brought up in a musical family. In 2022, he was elected by the Academy of Athens as a member of the Chair of Music in the Second Class of Letters and Fine Arts for his services to music. In 2024, he was appointed professor of violin at the Basel Academy of Music. Kavakos plays the ‘Willemotte’ Stradivari violin of 1734.

Minnesota Orchestra

The Grammy Award-winning Minnesota Orchestra is known for acclaimed performances in its home state and around the world; award-winning educational programs; and a commitment to building the orchestral repertoire of tomorrow, all based on the belief that music is for everyone. Each year, Minnesota Orchestra concerts and recordings are seen and heard by more than 2.5 million people via television, radio, digital streaming and on-demand platforms. The current season marks Music Director Thomas Søndergård’s third with the Orchestra and features collaborations with some of America’s great mezzos, the return of the acclaimed Nordic Soundscapes Festival and performances of Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle.

PRESS CONTACTS

Gwen Pappas, Vice President of Communications and Public Relations
gpappas@mnorch.org

Alexandra Robinson, Content and Communications Manager
arobinson@mnorch.org