The Liceu faces a new stage with a renewed musical director. After a long process, the emblematic hall located on La Rambla already has a substitute for Josep Pons, who has led the Theater Orchestra for 14 years. The British maestro Jonathan Nott will occupy this position starting from the 2026-2027 season and, at least, for five more.
An unexpected choice as he is a musician who, until now, has not maintained ties with the Gran Teatre del Liceu. Even so, the conductor and his baton have starred in several concerts in the Catalan capital, where he says he has encountered a "fantastic audience." Moreover, he states that the Liceu is a hall he has "dreamed of since he was 12 years old." After visiting it personally for the first time a few days ago during the performance of Dvořák's Rusalka, Nott states that he felt this was a space "where he could feel at home," emphasizing that "the complicity between the musicians and the energy they transmit were absolutely inspiring."
Even so, the musical merits of the British conductor, currently principal conductor of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra ---a position he has held for 12 years--- and musical and artistic director of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, have led him to wield the baton of the Catalan hall. With a consolidated career, he represents one of the "undisputed names in orchestral conducting on an international scale."
To recognize Pons' career, the Liceu will grant him the title of honorary musical directorHis connection to singing and opera, in fact, was established from an early age, when he was a solo singer in the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, in addition to becoming a tenor at the University of Cambridge, and also studied operatic singing at the Royal Northern College of Music. Nott trained in conducting with David Parry and his first assignment wielding the baton was at the Frankfurt Opera, withThe Pretend Garden-Girlof Mozart andBeckett Trilogyfrom Heinz Holliger.One of his great milestones as director was the boost to the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, which he led between 2000 and 2016.
Throughout his extensive career, he has conducted a wide musical range, from Mozart and Schubert to Mahler, Bruckner, and Shostakovich, in addition to approaching contemporary creation. According to the Liceu, Nott is a "true goldsmith in orchestra building, a creator of original musical narratives, and a generator of stimuli that connect with the public from multiple dimensions," as well as a "musician committed to his time," a characteristic that, for the venue, "fully identifies him with the values of the Liceu."
The choice of Jonathan Nott comes after a lengthy selection process. And the occasion demanded it: it was about finding a replacement for Josep Pons, who has led the venue's Orchestra for more than 14 years. A process in which, for the first time, members of the Liceu Orchestra participated.
Thus, Pons bids farewell to a long relationship with the Liceu, which was forged more than three decades ago, when he debuted for the first time in 1993. Under his baton, the Orchestra has experienced a period of transformation, betting on innovation and newly created operas and incorporating new languages. Thus, he is a figure that the Liceu considers to have been "key to the projection and consolidation of the venue."
To recognize his trajectory and the "outstanding, lasting, and especially significant relationship," the Liceu will award him the title of honorary musical director starting next season.
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