Gustavo Gimeno

Music Director, Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Bio

328 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 will 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 will share 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. Also in February, they recorded Stravinsky’s Pulcinella live in concert for Harmonia Mundi. 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. 

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About Toronto Symphony Orchestra

For more than a century, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) has played a fundamental role in shaping and celebrating Canadian culture. The TSO’s commitment to musical excellence and ability to spark connection remain as strong as ever. With a storied history of acclaimed concerts and recordings, Canadian and international tours, and impactful community partnerships, we are dedicated to engaging and enriching local and national communities through vibrant musical experiences. Music Director Gustavo Gimeno brings an expansive artistic vision, intellectual curiosity, and sense of adventure to programming the 93-musician orchestra that serves Toronto—one of the world’s most diverse cities. As a group of artists, teachers, and advocates who share the belief that music has the power to heal, inspire, and connect people from all walks of life, we engage audiences young and old through an array of community-access, health-and-wellness, and education initiatives including the TSO-affiliated Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra—a tuition-free training program dedicated to cultivating the next generation of Canadian artists. Symphony With Us at a concert at Roy Thomson Hall, or experience the TSO in your neighbourhood. Visit TSO.CA or Newsroom.TSO.CA.

Contact

500-145 Wellington St. W. Toronto, ON M5J 1H8

416.593.7769

pr@tso.ca

tso.ca