Romanian conductor Cristian Măcelaru named music director of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO), the oldest orchestra in Ohio, has appointed Romanian conductor Cristian Mӑcelaru as the 14th music director in its 129-year history.

Mӑcelaru, who succeeds Louis Langrée, will begin his five-year term in the 2024-2025 season, serving as music director designate in the first year of his term.

Mӑcelaru is currently the music director of the Orchestre National de France, the artistic director of the George Enescu Festival and Competition in Bucharest, and the chief conductor of the WDR Sinfonieorchester in Cologne, Germany. In the latter post, he will serve through the 2024-2025 season and continue as artistic partner for the 2025-2026 season.

In the United States, he serves as the artistic director and principal conductor of the Interlochen Center for the Arts World Youth Symphony Orchestra and music director and conductor of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, California.

Born in Romania, in Timișoara, he was trained at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, followed by the University of Miami and Rice University, before becoming a naturalized American citizen in 2019.

Mӑcelaru has recorded with major labels, including Deutsche Grammophon, Decca Classics, Sony Classical, and Warner Classics, and has just released an all-Enescu cycle on Deutsche Grammophon. He won a Grammy Award for conducting the 2019 Decca Classics recording of Wynton Marsalis’ Violin Concerto with Nicola Benedetti and The Philadelphia Orchestra. He has commissioned premieres from 52 composers across his titled positions in Paris, Cologne, and Cabrillo, including from Wynton Marsalis, Tan Dun, Gabriela Lena Frank, Jennifer Higdon, Jake Heggie, Nico Muhly, Sean Shepherd, and Gabriella Smith.

“We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Cristian Mӑcelaru as the orchestra’s next music director,” Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Board Chair Dianne Rosenberg said. “In addition to his exceptional artistry, collaborative spirit and strong leadership of orchestras around the world, including in the United States, Cristian understands and embraces the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s vision to become the most relevant orchestra in America. We look forward to the CSO’s bright future under Cristian’s leadership.”

“I am overjoyed and humbled by the opportunity to become music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra,” Mӑcelaru said. “The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has consistently upheld a well-proven standard of artistic excellence and innovation, in combination with a unique focus on the community it serves. The invitation to lead the superb musicians who form this orchestra, building an even stronger legacy together, is only enhanced by the warmth and closeness of the community that I’ve experienced in Cincinnati. It is with deep respect to my predecessors and commitment to the orchestra’s future that I look forward to sharing the wonderful music we make with the greater Cincinnati community and the world.”