Creative Collaborators
In addition to Music & Artistic Director, Walt and Lilly Disney Chair, Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil’s direction comes from a collaborative team of creative leaders, including the following remarkable artists.
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Creative Director and Conductor Laureate
After serving as Music Director since 1992, Esa-Pekka Salonen was named Conductor Laureate of the LA Phil in 2009. A renowned composer, he combines intricacy and technical virtuosity with playful rhythmic and melodic innovations, marking him as one of the most important artists in classical music today. Starting in the 2026/27 season, Salonen will become the LA Phil’s first Creative Director.
Anna Handler
Conductor-in-Residence
Beginning in the 2026/27 season, Anna Handler will take on the new role of Conductor-in-Residence at the LA Phil. A rapidly ascending presence on the international stage, Handler was a member of the 2023/24 class of Dudamel Fellows and has since been named Chief Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra, where she will begin her tenure in the 2026/27, and Artist-in-Residence at Beethoven-Haus Bonn during its 2026/27 season.
John Adams
John and Samantha Williams Creative Chair
John Adams, one of the most admired and respected composers in North America and winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Music, serves as creative chair of the LA Phil. Over the past 25 years, his music has played a decisive role in the shaping of contemporary music, and his compositions have been performed by major orchestras around the world.
Herbie Hancock
Creative Chair for Jazz
Herbie Hancock is an icon of modern music. Over his illustrious five-decade career, he has won 14 Grammy® awards, and his spirit helped to define both post-war jazz and hip-hop. Few artists have had greater influence on acoustic and electronic jazz and R&B.
Emmanuelle Haïm
Artist Collaborator
Emmanuelle Haïm is highly acclaimed as a performer and champion of the Baroque repertoire, both as a keyboard player and conductor. Haïm’s tenure as the LA Phil’s Artist Collaborator will explore the complex beauty and evocative sophistication of the Baroque era with an annual residency by Le Concert d’Astrée, performances with the LA Phil, and additional concerts and events.
Thomas Wilkins
Principal Conductor, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Thomas Wilkins is Principal Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. He has held a titled position at the Hollywood Bowl since 2008, when he was named Principal Guest Conductor; in the spring of 2014, he became Principal Conductor.
Zubin Mehta
Conductor Emeritus
Zubin Mehta – the LA Phil’s Music Director from 1962-1978 and now Conductor Emeritus – is one of the greatest musicians of our time. He has conducted the world’s most esteemed orchestras and introduced generations to classical music through than 50 years of recordings and performances. Through his humanitarian work, he has also given us a model of music’s ability to bridge cultures and bring people together in healing and in harmony.