Matias Tarnopolsky.
Photo: Jeff Fusco

The New York Philharmonic has a habit of recalling its former directors. Deborah Borda has served in three separate roles as executive director. Now, Matias Tarnopolsky will take over as president and CEO on New Year’s Day, returning to an orchestra where he was responsible for artistic planning nearly two decades ago. When Tarnopolsky arrived at Lincoln Center back then, he found an air envelope waiting for him – even then, an antiquated form of communication. The handwritten letter came from composer, conductor and modern music sage Pierre Boulez, who had led the Philharmonic as music director for six electrifying but frustrating years in the 1970s. , he advised. “Give them a little adventure.” It’s not easy, you’ll see. This was not the case: Lorin Maazel was musical director at the time, and his limits were limited.

The orchestral world has probably evolved more since Boulez wrote this letter than in the previous 40 years. The definition of adventure has changed and the appetite for it has increased. There are more women on stage, on the podium and in programs. Musical organizations now serve as educational institutions. And the Philharmonic, still getting used to its radically rebuilt Geffen Hall, is expecting disruption from within, as Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel gradually takes over the duties of music director even before the start official of his mandate in 2026.

For Tarnopolsky, 54, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 2018, the move up I-95 is both a return and a major change. “I saw this as a unique chance to bring together three fundamental elements: a great orchestra, a new hall and an extraordinary artistic director,” he says. He and Dudamel go back a long way. “When I first worked for the New York Philharmonic, my first trip was to Caracas to meet Gustavo and invite him to make his debut with us,” he recalls. They immediately bonded over a shared language: as a child born in London to Argentine parents, Tarnopolsky grew up speaking Spanish at home. They also share a musical sensibility. “Gustavo is a voracious devourer of new and interesting things, and he is always on a quest to explore,” says Tarnopolsky. Now they can “shake hard” together.

The new era arrives after a difficult year at the Philharmonie. The concert season began last September when the players’ contracts were about to expire. On opening night, the musicians distributed leaflets to the audience in front of the venue and, behind the scenes, prepared for a possible strike. Even more disturbing were the aftermath of a 2010 sexual assault case, which only became public when new York reported on this last spring. Long-standing resentments resurfaced, a new investigation was launched, and the two musicians accused of misconduct, Matthew Muckey and Liang Wang, were placed on leave – and then sued the orchestra. CEO Gary Ginstling, faced with a suddenly conflicting institutional culture, leave abruptly last summer, after only two years in office. Borda temporarily did not retire, but the Philharmonic suddenly appeared as an institution in crisis – not the most attractive look for an orchestra looking for a conductor. The situation gave Tarnopolsky pause.

“It was important to me that these factors were better resolved before I could consider the position,” he says. He got his wish. The labor dispute ended with a new contract days after opening night, and Muckey and Wang were firedeven if the prosecution continues. “I feel like I’m starting from scratch,” Tarnopolsky says. “Music is an inherently collaborative process. My job is to be a collaborator and a listener, to make sure we have established strong ethical and moral values ​​and to make people happy to come and work in an orchestra that is important to people’s lives.