Gustavo Gimeno

Gustavo Gimeno, born in Valencia in 1976, has risen rapidly to the front rank of conductors. Unusually, he came to the podium from within the orchestra: a percussionist, he joined the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2001 and became its principal percussionist, while studying conducting and working with Mariss Jansons and Claudio Abbado. His international breakthrough came in 2014, when he stepped in for Jansons with the Concertgebouw. He went on to become music director of the Luxembourg Philharmonic (2015–2025), then of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (since 2020), and from 2025 of Madrid’s Teatro Real. Admired for the energy, precision and orchestral sophistication of his music-making, he brings an insider’s ear for orchestral colour and balance to the podium.