The Israeli musician Lahav Shani becomes chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic. On Wednesday, the city council voted in favor of the 34-year-old’s appointment. Shani will start in 2026, said Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) when the contract was signed.
Shani has already celebrated considerable success. In 2020 he succeeded Zubin Mehta as music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also chief conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra in Rotterdam. He has also conducted ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra. He recently stood at the podium of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Shani will succeed Valeri Gergiev, who was released over a year ago. In the opinion of the Munich City Council, the conductor had not sufficiently distanced himself from Russian President Vladimir Putin after Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
