Musician Directory
25 famous conductors
Organized with dates, nationality, and key career highlights, along with sources. Current posts are as of November 2026.
Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini
1867–1957 · Italy · Conductor
Principal conductor at La Scala, conductor of the NBC Symphony Orchestra (from 1937)
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org
Wilhelm Furtwängler Wilhelm Furtwängler
1886–1954 · Germany · Conductor
Became conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic in 1922, succeeding Nikisch
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org
Evgeny Mravinsky Yevgeny Mravinsky
1903–1988 · Soviet Union (Russia) · Conductor
Led the Leningrad Philharmonic for 50 years (1938–1988)
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org
Herbert von Karajan Herbert von Karajan
1908–1989 · Austria · Conductor
Led the Berlin Philharmonic from 1955 to 1989
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org
Georg Solti Georg Solti
1912–1997 · Hungary/UK · Conductor
Music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1969–1991)
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org
Sergiu Celibidache Sergiu Celibidache
1912–1996 · Romania · Conductor
General music director of the Munich Philharmonic (1979–1996)
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org
Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein
1918–1990 · USA · Conductor & composer
Music director of the New York Philharmonic, host of the TV series Young People's Concerts
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org
Carlos Kleiber Carlos Kleiber
1930–2004 · Austria (born in Germany) · Conductor
First conductor at the Stuttgart State Theater (1966–1973)
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org
Claudio Abbado Claudio Abbado
1933–2014 · Italy · Conductor
Principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic (1989–2002)
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org
Seiji Ozawa Seiji Ozawa
1935–2024 · Japan · Conductor
Music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 29 years (1973–2002)
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org
Riccardo Muti Riccardo Muti
1941– · Italy · Conductor
Music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (2010–2023)
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org, wfmt.com
Daniel Barenboim Daniel Barenboim
1942– · Israel (born in Argentina) · Conductor & pianist
General music director of the Berlin State Opera (1992–2023)
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org, mynorthwest.com
Myung-whun Chung Myung-whun Chung
1953– · South Korea · Conductor & pianist
To become La Scala's first Asian music director in 2027
Currently: Music director of the KBS Symphony Orchestra (2026–2028), to become music director of La Scala in 2027 (as of November 2026)
See profile, career, and videos →Sources: ko.wikipedia.org, mobile.newsis.com
Simon Rattle Simon Rattle
1955– · UK · Conductor
Principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic (2002–2018)
Currently: Chief conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (as of October 2026, extended through 2033)
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org, bachtrack.com
Christian Thielemann Christian Thielemann
1959– · Germany · Conductor
Principal conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden (2012–2024)
Currently: General music director of the Berlin State Opera (Staatsoper Unter den Linden) (took office autumn 2024, as of the 2026/27 season)
Kirill Petrenko Kirill Petrenko
1972– · Austria (born in Russia) · Conductor
Principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic since 2019
Currently: Chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic (took office August 2019, as of November 2026)
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Yannick Nézet-Séguin
1975– · Canada · Conductor
Music director of both the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera
Currently: Music and artistic director of the Philadelphia Orchestra and music director of the Metropolitan Opera (both through the 2029–30 season), and lifetime artistic director of the Orchestre Métropolitain (as of November 2026)
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nocutnews.co.kr
Andris Nelsons Andris Nelsons
1978– · Latvia · Conductor
Conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Leipzig Gewandhaus at the same time
Currently: Music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (to step down after the 2027 Tanglewood season) and Gewandhauskapellmeister of the Leipzig Gewandhaus (through 2032) (as of September 2026)
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org, bostonglobe.com
Gustavo Dudamel Gustavo Dudamel
1981– · Venezuela · Conductor
Took office as LA Phil music director in 2009; to the New York Phil in 2026
Currently: Music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic (took office in the 2026–27 season, as of November 2026)
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org, playbill.com
Eun Sun Kim Eun Sun Kim
1980– · South Korea · Conductor
The fourth music director in San Francisco Opera's 102-year history
Currently: Music director of the San Francisco Opera (took office in 2021, extended through the 2030–31 season)
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org, sfopera.com
Klaus Mäkelä Klaus Mäkelä
1996– · Finland · Conductor
To take over the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Concertgebouw at the same time in 2027
Currently: Music director of the Orchestre de Paris (through the 2026–27 season) (as of November 2026; his Oslo Phil tenure ended with the 2025–26 season, and from the 2027–28 season he becomes chief conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org
Tarmo Peltokoski Tarmo PeltokoskiRising musicians
2000– · Finland · Conductor
Named next music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic in July 2024 at age 24
Currently: Music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic (first season 2026/27, inaugural concert Nov. 7, 2026) and music director of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse (as of April 2026)
Sources: thestar.com.my, hkphil.org
Joana Mallwitz Joana Mallwitz
1986– · Germany · Conductor
Became chief conductor of the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra in 2023
Currently: Chief conductor and artistic director of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin (since 2023/24; contract extended in July 2026 through the 2032/33 season)
Sources: wiki.krisyotam.com, operawire.com
Lahav Shani Lahav ShaniRising musicians
1989– · Israel · Conductor
Became chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic in September 2026
Currently: Chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic (2026/27–), music director of the Israel Philharmonic (extended through 2032) (as of May 2026)
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, heraldk.com
Elim Chan Elim Chan
1986– · Hong Kong (UK) · Conductor
Named next music director of the San Francisco Symphony in May 2026
Currently: Music director designate of the San Francisco Symphony (formally takes office September 2027), artistic partner of the Vienna Symphony (2026/27–) (as of May 2026)
Sources: wiki.krisyotam.com, bachtrack.com