Gustavo Gimeno

Bio

395 Words

Gustavo Gimeno’s tenure as the tenth Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra began in 2020/21. Since his appointment, he has reinvigorated the artistic profile of the orchestra, engaged with musicians and audiences alike, and brought performances of familiar works as well as some of today’s freshest sounds. Further, he has overseen renewed community engagement and sown the seeds for an ambitious program of commissioning new works from emerging and established composers.

During the 2024/25 season, Gimeno and the TSO explore major symphonic works—including Sibelius’s Symphony No. 1, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 1, Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6—as well as vital compositions from contemporary creators. Gimeno shares the stage with, among other soloists, Yuja Wang, Renaud Capuçon, Víkingur Ólafsson, Behzod Abduraimov, Beatrice Rana, and TSO Spotlight Artists Jan Lisiecki and Anna Prohaska. 

February 2024 saw the release of the first commercial recording Gimeno and the TSO made together, in May 2023, memorializing Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie as part of a new multi-disc partnership with Harmonia Mundi. It received the 2025 JUNO Award for Classical Album of the Year (Large Ensemble). Subsequent recordings with Harmonia Mundi have included Stravinsky’s Pulcinella and Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin. This builds on Gimeno’s relationship with the label, for which he has recorded Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria, and Stravinsky’s ballets The Firebird and Apollon musagète with Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg.

Gimeno has held the position of Music Director with Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg since 2015/16 and will step down at the end of the 2024/25 season. In 2025/26, he will become Music Director of Teatro Real in Madrid, where he currently serves as Music Director Designate. As an opera conductor, he has appeared at renowned houses such as the Liceu Opera Barcelona; Opernhaus Zürich; Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Valencia; and Teatro Real, Madrid. He is also much sought-after as a symphonic guest conductor worldwide: in 2024/25, he will appear with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Münchner Philharmoniker. 

In March 2025, Gimeno was appointed a Commander of the Order of Civil Merit (Encomienda de la Orden del Mérito Civil) by His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain. This prestigious honour recognizes his role in elevating Spanish culture internationally, his extraordinary contributions to classical music, and his influence on the global cultural landscape.

Images

TSO_Tour_Asset_Photo: Allan CabralPhoto: Allan Cabral

Gustavo Gimeno Conducts TSO Dress Rehearsal-210(@Stuart Lowe)Photo: Allan CabralGustavo Gimeno (photo credit_Marco Borggreve)

Photo: Christopher WahlGustavo Gimeno Conducts Firebird-Z7-2-287-(@Stuart-Lowe) (2)Gustavo Gimeno (Photo by Christopher Wahl)