April 16, 2021

Gustavo to join Paris Opera as new Music Director

On April 16, 2021, Gustavo and the Paris Opera announced that he will be joining the world-renowned institution as its Music Director. The appointment will begin on August 1, 2021, and will last for six seasons.

Gustavo says:

“Today, I am tremendously excited and deeply honored to announce that I will join the Paris Opera as their new Music Director!

From the first downbeat when I performed 'La Boheme' with them back in 2017, my experience with the artists of this world-renowned institution was simply magnificent, and it quickly became crystal clear that we share mutual feelings of trust, connection, musicality, and vision.

Opera has long played a seminal role in my life -- from sitting in my youth for untold hours at the feet of my Maestro José Antonio Abreu and my idols in Milan, Berlin and Vienna, to making this beautiful artform a staple in our programming in Los Angeles -- and I couldn’t be more overjoyed to have found, in Paris, my spiritual home for opera.

Alongside my continued commitment to the LA Phil and to the beloved musicians of El Sistema in Venezuela and around the world, I want to devote all my energy toward creating extraordinary musical moments for our audiences, and to make the Paris Opera ever more connected to the soul of the city and country that surrounds it, with inclusion and access firmly at the core of everything we do together.

I look forward to what promises to be an extraordinary time of exploration, creation, discovery, and collaboration.”