LA Opera names Domingo Hindoyan as Music Director

LA Opera names
Domingo Hindoyan
as Music Director

The conductor will succeed James Conlon,
who will become Conductor Laureate

(Los Angeles) May 30, 2025 — LA Opera announced today the appointment of Domingo Hindoyan, one of today’s most exciting conductors, as the company's Richard Seaver Music Director. His five-year contract will commence on July 1, 2026, and continue through the 2030/31 season.

The Venezuelan-Armenian conductor will succeed LA Opera's current Music Director, James Conlon, who announced last year that he will step down from that position at the end of the 2025/26 season—his 20th season in Los Angeles—to take on the newly created role of Conductor Laureate.

Domingo Hindoyan made his LA Opera debut in November 2024 with Gounod's Roméo et Juliette.

"I first encountered Domingo Hindoyan at the Berlin State Opera in 2016 and was immediately struck by the fluidity of his technique and the clarity and command of his musical ideas," said Christopher Koelsch, LA Opera's President and CEO. "Since then, I’ve watched with admiration as his career has flourished across many of Europe’s great opera houses—from the storied Vienna State Opera and Paris Opera to closer to home at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Metropolitan Opera. Our search process was both thorough and inclusive, engaging board members, civic leaders and representatives from our orchestra. We considered dozens of exceptional candidates from around the world—but Domingo emerged as the clear choice. In our conversations and through his artistry, it became evident that he brings not only exceptional musical and symphonic fluency, but also a disarming warmth and charisma that draws others into his creative orbit.

"His deeply collaborative nature and generous spirit in rehearsal make him a favorite among singers, who are inspired by the space he creates for musical risk-taking and expressive freedom. His deep rapport with musicians and audiences alike, so evident in his ongoing role as Chief Conductor with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, was on full display during his triumphant debut with us in Roméo et Juliette last fall. I am excited by the possibilities for our collaboration in the years ahead, and I know Domingo will build upon the extraordinary foundation James Conlon has laid over the past two decades, enriching the musical life of Los Angeles in bold and inspiring ways.”

"I am deeply honored to join LA Opera as its next Music Director," said Domingo Hindoyan. “From the first rehearsal, I felt a strong connection to the extraordinary musicians, staff and spirit of this company. It is a privilege to follow Maestro James Conlon, whose legacy has shaped LA Opera into what it is today—a dynamic and ambitious institution.

"Los Angeles is a city that embraces creativity and innovation. Its openness, diversity and cultural energy make it an inspiring place to live and work. From the moment I stepped into the opera house, I felt an immediate sense of purpose and possibility. I am excited to be part of this community and to contribute to its artistic life.

"This is the beginning of a new chapter for LA Opera and myself, and I take on this role with great enthusiasm and responsibility. Together with the company’s talented artists, team, and leadership, I look forward to shaping future seasons, developing new productions, working with local artists, inviting the world’s leading creative voices and deepening our connection with audiences across the city and beyond.”

A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Domingo Hindoyan continues his role as Chief Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, which he has held since 2021. Previously, he was the Principal Guest Conductor of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. He has conducted opera productions at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Berlin State Opera, Vienna State Opera, Paris Opera, Royal Swedish Opera, Dresden Semperoper, Madrid's Teatro Real and Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu. He has led acclaimed ensembles and orchestras around the world including the BBC Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, San Diego Symphony and Detroit Symphony. He made his Los Angeles Philharmonic debut in 2024 leading Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5, Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2, and Sofia Gubaidulina’s Fairy-Tale Poem. He has also conducted at many renowned festivals, such as the Menuhin Festival Gstaad and as a regular guest at the Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier.

Hindoyan has released six albums with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. The first, exploring Roberto Sierra’s music over the last 25 years, was followed by Verismo, which explores preludes and intermezzos from Italian operas. His recording of Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony was released in February 2024. In October 2024, he released Venezuela! Music from the Americas!, where he continues to demonstrate his commitment to new music with various world premieres and commissions. His most recent album, Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence & Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique," was released in April 2025.

Coming on the eve of LA Opera's landmark 40th Anniversary Season, today’s announcement is the latest development in the continuing evolution of one of America’s most vital and ambitious opera companies. Domingo Hindoyan will become the third music director in LA Opera's history. Kent Nagano held that position from 2003 to 2006, after joining the company as principal conductor in 2001. James Conlon succeeded Nagano as music director in 2006 and will hold that title through the end of the 2025/26 season.

"I am extremely happy and enthusiastic that Domingo Hindoyan has been named as the next Music Director of LA Opera," said James Conlon. "After devoting 20 years to this wonderful company—helping to solidify its place in the cultural life of Los Angeles and on the international operatic stage—I am especially pleased to pass the reins to someone I know shares my passion for opera, and who sees it as the vital, relevant, spiritual force it has always been.

"Domingo is an artist of exceptional depth and imagination, and I know the company will welcome him warmly. I’m confident this new partnership will be both successful and fruitful. We will be working together closely at the beginning, and I am confident that we will assure a smooth transition. Most of all, I’m happy that I will remain close to Domingo and to the many colleagues whose collaboration I have valued so deeply over the years, as I continue into the future in my new role as Conductor Laureate."

“On behalf of the entire company, I welcome Domingo Hindoyan to the LA Opera family," said Keith Leonard, Jr., chairman of the company's board of directors. “I am excited that he has chosen to make Los Angeles his operatic home, and he joins a company that is in terrific shape. The company's artistic profile has risen exponentially under the dynamic leadership of James Conlon, our current music director, and Kent Nagano, his predecessor. I am certain that Domingo will build upon their great work and add his own stamp to the company's identity as we write the next chapter of the LA Opera story."

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About LA Opera
Los Angeles is a city of enormous diversity and creativity. LA Opera is dedicated to reflecting that vibrancy by redefining what opera can be, through imaginative new productions, world premiere commissions and inventive performances that preserve foundational works while making them feel fresh and compelling.

In addition to its mainstage performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the company explores unusual repertoire each season through the LA Opera Off Grand initiative, featuring performances in a variety of venues throughout Los Angeles. The LA Opera Connects initiative offers a robust variety of educational programming and community engagement offerings that reaches people throughout every corner of Los Angeles County. Learn more at LAOpera.org.

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