MINNEAPOLIS (February 19, 2026) — Music Director Thomas Søndergård and the Minnesota Orchestra today announced the appointment of conductor and violinist Leonidas Kavakos as the Orchestra’s Principal Guest Conductor. The three-year term will begin in the fall of 2027 and will include three weeks of subscription concerts each season, with Kavakos conducting the Orchestra at least twice per season, as well as appearing in additional concerts and artistic projects as a soloist or chamber music collaborator.

Leonidas Kavakos has a long-standing relationship with the Minnesota Orchestra, having made his debut with the Orchestra in 1995. Most recently, he appeared as soloist and conductor in the October 2025 concerts.

The Orchestra’s Music Director Thomas Søndergård stated that “we are delighted to welcome Leonidas Kavakos to this new role. He is an artist of great integrity and creativity, who will bring conviction, passion, and interesting projects to the Orchestra and our audience. I know he will make a significant contribution to the musical vitality of the organization, and I look forward to our first collaboration.” Søndergård will conduct concerts with Kavakos as violin soloist in May 2028.

“I am thrilled to join the Minnesota Orchestra as Principal Guest Conductor,” said Leonidas Kavakos. “As a young music student still shaping my musical identity, I was deeply inspired by the Orchestra’s recordings with the legendary Dimitri Mitropoulos. The Orchestra possesses a sound of rare warmth and flexibility, an element that has impressed me since my debut as a soloist in the 1990s. I first conducted the Orchestra in 2023, and the rehearsals and concerts were a pure joy. I immediately felt a chemistry with my colleagues, and together we found the sense of expressive freedom that every musician seeks. As Principal Guest Conductor, I look forward to collaborating more deeply with this fantastic Orchestra and creating powerful musical experiences for the city of Minneapolis. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to Music Director Thomas Søndergård, President and CEO Isaac Thompson, and Vice President of Artistic Planning Erik Finley for their trust and support in welcoming me to the Minnesota Orchestra family!”

Kavakos made his debut with the Minnesota Orchestra in March 1995, performing Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto. Over the next five years, he returned for 16 appearances during the artistic season and summer, and has since been a regular soloist with the Orchestra, including performances of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto at Carnegie Hall in May 2009. He first conducted the Minnesota Orchestra in May 2023 in a program featuring Brahms’ First Symphony and Bach’s First Violin Concerto. His most recent appearance, last October, included conducting Mozart’s Third Violin Concerto and Shostakovich’s 15th Symphony.

“It has been 40 years since the Minnesota Orchestra appointed a Principal Guest Conductor, and we are thrilled to reinstate the position with an artist of Leonidas Kavakos’ stature and brilliance,” said President and CEO Isaac Thompson. “His connection to the Minnesota Orchestra is deep, and the dynamic relationship that developed during their collaboration last fall was evident. I look forward to seeing this important prospect unfold through his collaboration with Thomas Søndergård and the Orchestra’s exceptional musicians.”

Historically, the position of Principal Guest Conductor was held by Leonard Slatkin (1975–1979), Klaus Tennstedt (1979–1982), and Charles Dutoit (1983–1986).

“The Orchestra’s musicians are excited about this new chapter in our relationship with Leonidas Kavakos,” said violinist Emily Switzer, chair of the Minnesota Orchestra Musicians’ Committee. “In recent years, it has been a great joy to experience his artistry as a conductor, beyond his charismatic violin playing. He is a uniquely imaginative and inspiring musician — his recent performance of Shostakovich’s demanding and experimental 15th Symphony under his direction was a highlight for many of us — and we look forward to all that this new collaboration will bring.”

Leonidas Kavakos, as noted in the orchestra’s official announcement, is globally recognized as an artist of rare quality. With a reputation for his captivating artistry, exceptional musicianship, unparalleled technique, and integrity of interpretation, he collaborates with the most important orchestras internationally as both soloist and conductor, while also performing recitals in the world’s leading concert halls.

In 2022, he founded the chamber music ensemble ApollΩn Ensemble, composed of distinguished Greek musicians, which is experiencing increasing international demand. In 2025, he will become artistic director of the “Classic Revolution” Festival at the Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul.

Highlights of the 2025–26 season include appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, and many other orchestras, as well as engagements as a conductor. He is also an artist in residence with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra this season.

His extensive and multi-award-winning discography includes, among others, Brahms’ Violin Concerto and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, which he conducted himself. In 2022, he was elected a member of the Academy of Athens in the Chair of Music of the Second Class of Letters and Fine Arts for his contribution to music, and in 2024 he was appointed professor of violin at the Basel Music Academy. He plays the 1734 Stradivari violin “Willemotte.”

Who is the Minnesota Orchestra?

The Grammy-winning Minnesota Orchestra is known for its acclaimed performances in Minnesota and internationally, its multi-award-winning educational programs, and its commitment to expanding the symphonic repertoire, with the core principle that music is for everyone. Each year, its concerts and recordings reach more than 2.5 million people through television, radio, digital streaming, and on-demand platforms. The current season marks Thomas Søndergård’s third year as the Orchestra’s Music Director.

The orchestra was founded in 1903 as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and was renamed the Minnesota Orchestra in 1968. It has been led by great conductors such as Antal Doráti, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Neville Marriner, Edo de Waart, Eiji Oue, Osmo Vänskä, while from 1937-1949, the eminent Greek conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos served as music director, leaving a significant legacy of great recordings.