Photos here.

HOUSTON, TX (September 19, 2025)—

The Houston Symphony announced today that it has extended the tenure of Music Director Juraj Valčuha, holder of the Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair, through the 2027–28 Season, affirming a dynamic partnership that has energized the organization.

Since his appointment in 2022, Valčuha has inspired audiences and critics alike with performances of remarkable depth and vitality, galvanizing the orchestra and drawing acclaim. His leadership has been described as heralding “a new golden age” for the Symphony (Dallas Morning News).

“From the first time I experienced Juraj Valčuha conducting the Houston Symphony, I immediately recognized there was a special relationship between Music Director and orchestra,” said Gary Ginstling, Executive Director/CEO and holder of the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair. “Juraj’s artistry, musical leadership, and collaborative spirit have already transformed this organization. I am thrilled for what the future holds for the Houston Symphony with Juraj as our Music Director as we continue this extraordinary journey together.”

“Juraj has enthralled audiences season after season with his innovative programming and expressive musicality. His musical spirit lingers long after each performance,” added Barbara J. Burger, Houston Symphony Board President. “On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, I congratulate him on his extension and thank him for his commitment to shaping the Symphony’s artistic future.”

Reflecting on the announcement, Valčuha said:

“In these first three seasons, the orchestra and I have forged a musical partnership rooted in trust, curiosity, and bold music-making. It is a great honor to continue leading the Houston Symphony and to collaborate with such extraordinary musicians. In the years ahead, I look forward to continuing to explore music both timeless and new, creating experiences that move, challenge, and inspire.”

Valčuha’s leadership has defined a new chapter for the Symphony—balancing tradition with bold innovation. After his debut with the Houston Symphony as a guest conductor in 2011, he returned to lead the orchestra during both the 2017–18 and 2020–21 Seasons, with programs that included Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra, and Copland’s Clarinet Concerto. Musicians, trustees, and staff alike were drawn to Valčuha for his authenticity and passion, his artistic excellence, and his ability to communicate through his deeply expressive gestures. He was named Houston Symphony Music Director beginning with the 2022–23 season.

He’s been collecting accolades for his Houston Symphony performances ever since, garnering praise for their focus and expressive sophistication. Reviewing Valčuha’s 2025 performance of Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, critic Scott Cantrell wrote: “An unassumingly eloquent conductor, visibly attentive to nuances of volume and timbre within an overarching trajectory, Valčuha seems quite a special musician.” After a 2024 Brahms Requiem, Cantrell declared: “The Houston Symphony may be in for a new golden age.”

“Juraj’s approach in every rehearsal and performance has been inspiring and transformational. He demands rigor and precision, but always with deep respect for us as musicians—he listens, encourages, and sets a standard that pushes us to grow,” said Robin Kesselman, Principal Bass and Chair of the Artistic Advisory Committee of the Orchestra. “Under his leadership, we’ve elevated our sound, expanded our repertoire, and shared performances that feel like conversations between players, conductor, and audience. We are proud to continue this partnership with him and excited for the ambitious work that lies ahead.”

Hallmarks of Valčuha’s music directorship include multiple-week, themed mini-festivals designed to explore repertoire in bold, interconnected ways, like this season’s Composer as Hero, Doomed Lovers, and Transfiguration festivals; continuing to expand the orchestral repertoire with multiple Houston Symphony world premieres, like this season’s Liberty Bell by Julia Wolfe, Andy Akiho’s Timpani Concerto, and L’ubica Čekovská’s Toy Procession; highlighting the Houston Symphony’s extraordinary musicians in soloist roles, such as Principal Harp Allegra Lilly in Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp in C major, Concertmaster Yoonshin Song in Bernstein’s Serenade [After Plato’s “Symposium”], and Principal Timpani Leonardo Soto in Akiho’s Concerto (written for Soto), all taking center stage this season; and expanding the Symphony’s artistic palette with opera in concert, like this season’s performance of Act II of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde with a stellar cast of Tamara Wilson, Stuart Skelton, and Jamie Barton.

This year’s Opening Weekend program also exemplifies Valčuha’s artistic vision to kick off each season showcasing the full power of the orchestra as well as  the Houston Symphony Chorus: a monumental choral work, Schmitt’s Psalm 47, performed with soprano Angel Blue, the Houston Symphony Chorus, and the Houston Chamber Choir; Wolfe’s Liberty Bell, co-commissioned by the Symphony; and Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite.

Highlights of Valčuha’s first three seasons at the helm of the Houston Symphony include Verdi’s Requiem; Richard Strauss’s Alpine Symphony; Mahler’s 3^rd and 6^th Symphonies, as well as Das Lied von der Erde; recreating a Viennese New Year’s concert during the holiday season with a program entirely comprising waltzes by the Strauss family; a bohemian-themed season opening concert featuring Martinů’s Czech Rhapsody and Dvořák’s 9^th Symphony; and semi-staged, multi-media-enhanced performances of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex and Richard Strauss’s Salome.

With his contract now extended through 2028, Valčuha and the Houston Symphony will continue building on this artistic momentum, bringing visionary programs and transformative performances to Houston and beyond. Discussions about future plans include recording projects and possible tours to share the Houston Symphony’s musicmaking with a broader audience.

About Juraj Valčuha

Music Director, Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair

Houston Symphony Music Director Juraj Valčuha is recognized for his effortless expressiveness and depth of musicianship. He is known for his sharp baton technique and natural stage presence, and the impressive ease of his interpretations that translate even the most complex scores into immersive experiences.

Before joining the Houston Symphony in June 2022, Juraj was Music Director of the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, from 2016 to 2022 and first guest conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. He was Chief Conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai from 2009 to 2016.

The 2005–06 Season marked the start of his international career on the podium of the Orchestre National de France followed by remarkable debuts in the United Kingdom with the Philharmonia London, in Germany with the Munich Philharmonic, in the United States with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and in Italy with Puccini’s La bohème in Bologna.

He has since led the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Dresden Staatskapelle, Munich Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Rome, Milan’s Filarmonica della Scala, Montréal Symphony, and the NHK and Yomiuri orchestras in Tokyo.

He enjoys regular collaborations with the Minnesota Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony. International touring with the Orchestra Sinfonica della Rai took them to the Musikverein in Vienna and Philharmonie in Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Zurich, Munich, to the Enesco Festival in Bucharest, and the Abu Dhabi Classics. With the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, he visited Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn to mark the 100th anniversary of the Baltic nations.

In Europe, he is acclaimed on the podium of the Munich Philharmonic, the NDR Hamburg and Frankfurt Radio orchestras, as well as the Vienna Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, BBC Symphony and Philharmonia London, and the Swedish Radio Orchestra.

Juraj champions the compositions of living composers and aims to program contemporary pieces in most of his concerts. He has conducted world premieres, including Christopher Rouse’s Supplica with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Steven Mackey’s violin concerto with Leila Josefowicz and the BBC Symphony in Manchester, and Nico Muhly’s Bright Idea with the Houston Symphony. In 2005, he conducted, in the presence of the composer, Steve Reich’s Four Seasons at the Melos-Ethos Festival in Bratislava. Other composers he has supported and continues to follow with interest are Bryce Dessner, Steven Stucky, Andrew Norman, James MacMillan, Luca Francesconi, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Anna Clyne, Julia Wolfe and Jessie Montgomery, among others.

Including his engagements in Houston, the 2023–24 Season took him to the Pittsburgh and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, San Francisco Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra as well as to the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo. On the European stage, he performed La fanciulla del West and Tristan and Isolde at the Bavarian State Opera and at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Jenůfa at the Opera di Roma. He led concerts with the RAI Orchestra, the Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, the Orchestre National de France, the NDR, SWR, and the Bamberg Symphony, among others.

In the 2024–2025 Season Juraj will join the Semperoper in Dresden with Strauss´ Salomé as well as the Paris Opéra Bastille with Janáček´s The Cunning Little Vixen and the Deutsche Oper Berlin with Tchaikovsky´s Pique Dame. In addition to his concerts with the Houston Symphony, he returned to the Munich Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de France, the London Philharmonic, the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester, the San Francisco Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo.

Born in Bratislava, Slovakia, Juraj studied composition and conducting in his birthplace, then at the conservatory in St. Petersburg (with Ilya Musin), and finally, at the Conservatoire Supérieur de la Musique in Paris.

About the Houston Symphony

Under the leadership of Music Director Juraj Valčuha, the Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony continues to inspire and engage diverse audiences in Houston and beyond with exceptional musical performances and enduring community impact. The Symphony held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston on June 21, 1913. Now in its second century as one of America’s premier orchestras, the Houston Symphony is one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas and remains a cultural cornerstone of the region.

With an annual operating budget of $40.7 million, the Symphony presents over 130 concerts each year, making it one of the largest performing arts organizations in Texas. Its reach extends far beyond the concert hall, delivering more than 600 performances annually at schools, community centers, hospitals, and other venues, engaging over 160,000 people throughout Greater Houston.

The Symphony's innovative response to the COVID-19 pandemic—completing its 2020-21 Season with in-person audiences and weekly livestreams—earned national recognition and the ASCAP Foundation’s Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Broadcast/Media Award. Its commitment to innovation continues, with its 2024-25 Season reaching audiences in over 45 countries and all 50 states via livestreaming, making it one of the few American orchestras to sustain such global digital engagement.

Renowned for its artistry, the Symphony has a distinguished recording legacy under prestigious labels, including Koch International Classics, Naxos, RCA Red Seal, and Pentatone. Highlights include a Grammy and ECHO Klassik Award-winning live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck and recent releases such as Jimmy López Bellido’s Aurora and Ad Astra (2022) and Jennifer Higdon’s Duo Duel (2023).

The Symphony’s educational impact is equally remarkable, with its Harry and Cora Sue Mach Student Concert Series reaching over 50,000 students annually. Its In Harmony after-school program and partnerships with institutions like the Houston Methodist Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Texas Children’s Hospital further demonstrate the Symphony’s commitment to fostering community connections and accessibility to the arts.

With a vision centered on artistic excellence, community engagement, and accessibility, the Houston Symphony remains a cultural leader in Houston and a global ambassador for the transformative power of music.

For more information, please contact

Eric Skelly, eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org

Jessica Henderson, jessica@theckpgroup.com