Gustavo Gimeno is music director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg—a title he has held since 2015, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO), where he remains through the 2029–30 season. He is also music director designate of Teatro Real, where he will assume his role in season 2025–26.
During the 2023–24 season, Gimeno and the TSO usher in a bold new beginning for the Orchestra in its 101st year, with major symphonic works—including Mahler’s Symphony No. 3, Brahms’ Symphony No. 1, Respighi’s Pines of Rome and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Pulcinella—presented alongside an unprecedented number of pieces never before performed by the TSO. Gimeno will share the stage with, among other soloists, Daniil Trifonov, James Ehnes, Emily D’Angelo, Frank Peter Zimmermann and Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
With Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Gimeno explores repertoire including Brahms’ Symphony No. 4, Rachmaninoff’s Concerto for Piano No. 2, Berloiz’s Symphonie fantastique and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. International touring has formed a significant part of Gimeno’s commitment with Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg during the last seven years. In 2023–24, he tours with Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg to Stockholm, Köln and Belgium. Throughout his tenure, Gimeno and Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg have visited many of Europe’s, South Korea’s and South America’s most prestigious concert halls, and soloists with whom Gimeno has shared the stage include Daniel Barenboim, Gautier Capuçon, Anja Harteros, Leonidas Kavakos, Bryn Terfel, Yuja Wang and Martin Grubinger. A highlight has been performances of the complete Beethoven piano concertos with Krystian Zimerman.
As music director designate of Teatro Real, in December 2023, Gimeno conducts Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid, Pequeños Cantores de la ORCAM, Coro Nacional de España—coro feminine and mezzo-soprano Marina Viotti for Mahler’s Symphony No. 3.
He is much sought after as a symphonic guest conductor worldwide: in 2023–24 appearances include the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Highlights of past seasons include Berliner Philharmoniker, Münchner Philharmoniker, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Wiener Symphoniker, Orchestre National de France, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Washington’s National Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra and Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. At home and abroad, touring projects have included concerts as far afield as Japan and Taiwan.
Gimeno and Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg have an extensive discography with Pentatone. Releases include a Francisco Coll monography featuring the Violin Concerto with Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1 and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 1, Ravel’s complete ballet music to Daphnis et Chloé, Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, Rossini’s Petite Messe solennelle and César Franck’s Symphony in D Minor. As an opera conductor, he is invited for major titles at great houses such as the Liceu Opera Barcelona, Opernhaus Zürich, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Valencia and Teatro Real Madrid. In 2022–23 Gimeno returned to Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia to conduct the Katie Mitchell production of Jenůfa.
February 2024 will see the release of the first commercial recording Gimeno and the TSO made together (May 2023), memorializing Messiaen’s Turangalîla-symphonie under the Harmonia Mundi label. This builds on Gimeno’s relationship with the label, for which he has recorded Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria and Stravinsky’s ballets The Firebird and Apollon musagète with Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg.
Photo Credit: Marco Borggreve