WORLD-RENOWNED ARTISTIC LEADERS JOHN ADAMS AND HERBIE HANCOCK ARE HONORED WITH EMERITUS STATUS

LOS ANGELES (November 4, 2026) — Kim Noltemy, LA Phil President & CEO and David C. Bohnett CEO Chair, today announced three new appointments to the LA Phil’s reimagined artistic leadership team, with a lineup of world-renowned artists whose guidance and work will forge an exciting future for the LA Phil. The artistic leadership team taking shape will soon include a full complement of leaders in place for the 2027/28 season, when recently appointed Walt and Lilly Disney Chair, Music Director Daniel Harding begins his tenure.

Distinguished contemporary composer and performer Thomas Adès will assume the role of John and Samantha Williams Creative Chair for New Music, succeeding composer and conductor John Adams, who has held the role for 17 years. The artistic leadership team has been broadened to include the new role for Latin Grammy Award-winning artist and singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada as the Creative Chair for Latin Music, generously supported by Alicia Miñana and Rob Lovelace. Grammy Award-winning vocalist Samara Joy will become the new Creative Chair for Jazz, succeeding jazz musician and bandleader Herbie Hancock who has held the position since 2010. Internationally renowned artists and longtime LA Phil leaders, Hancock and Adams will be honored with the respective titles of Creative Chair for Jazz Emeritus and Creative Chair for New Music Emeritus, joining Zubin Mehta, Conductor Emeritus.

Daniel Harding said, “One of the many things that drew me to Los Angeles was the opportunity to work with extraordinary artists from many fields and backgrounds alongside an orchestra that has always been willing to take risks. The LA Phil has a remarkable history of questioning conventions, exploring new ideas, and finding new ways to connect music with people. With this creative team and our wonderful orchestra, we will build on that spirit together, respecting the extraordinary traditions we have inherited, but never allowing ourselves to be limited by them. The breadth of knowledge, talent, curiosity, and creativity in this team is astounding and thrilling. I can’t wait to see what we can create together.”

Each newly appointed Chair brings a distinctive vision to the LA Phil’s broad spectrum of programming. Adès has a decades-long history with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, not only as a composer but also as a guest conductor at Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. With this appointment, Adès will now advise the LA Phil on commissioning activities, and the groundbreaking Green Umbrella concert series, which will be celebrating its 40^th anniversary in 2027. Estrada will elevate Latin music traditions across the LA Phil’s venues, deepening the organization’s longstanding support of Latin artists. She will also continue her work with YOLA and collaborate with guest artists, helping advance the LA Phil’s commitment to a more inclusive and expansive musical landscape. Joy brings a new generational voice to the conversation around jazz performance, curation, and artistic innovation. In this role, she will oversee the annual jazz series across the LA Phil’s venues while guiding educational initiatives that connect artists, students and audiences through the evolving traditions of the artform.

Noltemy said, “Today marks the culmination of a yearslong vision to bring together an extraordinary group of innovative and inspiring artists who will shape the LA Phil’s future. As stewards of Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford, we have the responsibility and opportunity to serve audiences across three iconic venues, each with its own artistic identity and possibilities. Our new artistic leadership team brings us a remarkable breadth of perspectives and strengths across disciplines, allowing us to imagine new forms of presentation, build unexpected collaborations, and create experiences that challenge, inspire and engage audiences. Perhaps most important of all, this team will amplify the wide range of voices, cultures and genres in Los Angeles.”

Previously announced members of the artistic leadership team, led by incoming Music Director Daniel Harding, are Diane and M. David Paul Artistic and Cultural Laureate & the Jane and Michael Eisner Founding Director and Conductor Laureate of YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) Gustavo Dudamel, Judith & Thomas L. Beckmen Creative Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, Ellen and Arnold Zetcher Conductor-in-Residence Anna Handler, Composer-in-Residence Joe Hisaishi, Artist Collaborator Emmanuelle Haïm, Principal Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra Thomas Wilkins and Conductor Emeritus Zubin Mehta. With their fellow artistic leaders, they will create projects and programming across the LA Phil venues at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and The Ford, bring their vision and guidance to YOLA and imagine new ventures for collaboration and cultural exchange.

“For years, the Los Angeles Philharmonic has pointed the way to how a symphony orchestra can thrive both creatively and artistically in our time,” said John Adams. “It’s been my privilege of the past 17 years to serve as Creative Chair for New Music and help guide the orchestra’s unique artistic philosophy which sets the standard for daring and its boldness. Over the course of my residency, I’ve had the opportunity to introduce a new generation of young American composers whose music has stirred the imagination of the Philharmonic’s audiences and proven emphatically that, for all the challenges that our country’s culture faces these days, the locus of creativity for new music is here in America. I leave my position with hope and confidence that the Philharmonic, through its subscription programming and its extraordinary Green Umbrella series, will continue to show to the world how it’s done.

"My time as Creative Chair for Jazz has been filled with memorable collaborations and countless opportunities to share jazz’s ability to exchange ideas across generations. I am proud of the work we’ve done together and look forward to Samara leading us into a new chapter of audiences enjoying all that jazz can bring,” noted Hancock.

Adès said, “Some of the most thrilling nights of my musical life have included conducting the LA Phil in Walt Disney Concert Hall and hearing the orchestra bring Dante to life. These experiences showed me that nothing is too ambitious here, and that the audience comes ready to be surprised. I’m honored to join Daniel, Esa-Pekka, Gustavo and this remarkable group of artists in imagining a wildly creative musical future that could only happen in Los Angeles.”

“Latin music is not a single sound. To me, it is the soul of an entire continent, an immense and profound richness woven together across generations, with the power to transcend any border,” noted Estrada. “Los Angeles is a city built upon these Latin American stories, stories that have enriched cultures around the world. To me, the LA Phil represents an extraordinary space to tell, celebrate and honor them. As Creative Chair, I want to explore and delve deeper into the infinite beauty that runs through our history, build bridges between generations and create new spaces for the voices of artists who are expanding, transforming and reimagining the ways we tell the world who we are.”

“It is an immense honor to follow Herbie Hancock in this role,” said Joy. “Over the course of his career, his creative vision in music has inspired generations of musicians and shown that impact stands the test of time when you put your love of music above all else. With this opportunity, I’m excited to showcase my love for jazz at the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall. I hope to bring the Los Angeles audience a one-of-a-kind musical experience that might give them a chance to fall in love with the music just like I did.”