Tugan Sokhiev becomes chief conductor of the OSR
The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande has appointed Tugan Sokhiev as Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor. He will take up the post next September.
According to the orchestra's announcement, the appointment is the continuation of an artistic collaboration that began in 2024 and was characterized by an interpretation of Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5 in October 2025.
Sokhiev, a student of the pedagogue Ilya Musin at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, founded the International Conducting Academy in Toulouse in 2016 and continues his commitment to young artists today through various projects, including the Angelika Prokopp Summer Academy of the Vienna Philharmonic, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra Academy and the BEPHIL program of the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Salzburg Festival. He is also patron of the Philharmonic Brass Education Program.
Tugan Sokhiev has a special relationship with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic in particular. In April 2026, he conducted several concerts with the latter as part of the Salzburg Easter Festival. His most recent collaborations with the Vienna Philharmonic include the Summer Night Concert at Schönbrunn Palace in June 2025, gala concerts to mark the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss II and several highlights of the 2026-2027 season: the Salzburg Festival, a European tour and the prestigious New Year's Concert at the Musikverein in Vienna.
Founded in 1918 by conductor Ernest Ansermet, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande consists of 112 permanent musicians from 22 different countries. It performs subscription concerts in Geneva and Lausanne, symphony concerts in the city of Geneva, the annual concert to mark United Nations Day and opera performances at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.
