At a special press conference on stage at the Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa before an audience of donors, musicians, local dignitaries and the media, Pacific Symphony Board Chair Arthur Ong and President and CEO John Forsyte announced the appointment of Alexander Shelley as the orchestra’s third Music Director in its 46-year history.
Shelley’s tenure starts in the 2026-27 season, for an initial five-year term. Shelley will serve as Music Director Designate during the 2025–26 season, before assuming full artistic leadership in 2026-27.
Shelley succeeds Carl St.Clair, who will become Music Director Laureate in 2025-26, providing a seamless transition of artistic leadership to the orchestra he has led for more than three decades. St.Clair is currently celebrating his 35th season with Pacific Symphony—he longest tenure for an American-born music director of a major U.S. orchestra.
“I am filled with excitement about leading Pacific Symphony—a versatile, vibrant organization that has enmeshed itself so deeply in the culture, community and imagination of Southern California through the commitment of Carl St.Clair, the musicians and the administration,” said Shelley. “Serving this community, inspiring its youth and enriching its cultural life will be an honor and a joy. The artistic excellence, flexibility and passion of this great orchestra have struck me since our first meeting. I look forward to building on these deep foundations, growing the reach and renown of the orchestra, and reaffirming the power and importance of music in our world through innovative programming and committed performances.”
Shelley has served as both Music Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) in Ottawa, Canada and Principal Associate Conductor of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra since 2015. In 2023, he was also named Artistic and Music Director at Artis—Naples in Florida, leading the Naples Philharmonic. He was also the youngest-ever Chief Conductor of Germany’s Nürnberger Symphoniker, a position he held for eight seasons from 2009–2017.
“Alexander’s appointment marks the beginning of a new chapter for Pacific Symphony, building on the legacy of international recognition and local community engagement that Carl has firmly established over the past 35 years,” said Ong. “We are fortunate that Carl will continue to be a vital presence as Music Director Laureate for many years to come, and we look forward with great anticipation to Alexander’s return to the podium.”
The international search for Pacific Symphony’s new music director evaluated numerous guest conductors, and input from the orchestra’s musicians was invaluable throughout the process. The search committee, chaired by board member Mark Nielsen, included six orchestra members, who served as ambassadors for the ensemble by gathering feedback, fostering dialogue, and ensuring that the voices of their fellow musicians were heard.
“Alexander Shelley brings a remarkable combination of artistry, creativity and leadership,” said Concertmaster Dennis Kim, a member of the search committee, on behalf of the orchestra. “On the podium, he is inspiring, his ideas are clear, and his preparation is impeccable. He has a vast repertoire and all of us are excited to explore new works with him. Off the podium, he is a true gentleman and a musician’s musician. He is someone who fully understands the huge responsibility that comes with this position, at this time, for this orchestra. Those of us on the search committee were captivated by his innovative programming, his vision for the orchestra, his ideas to reach new audiences, and his plans to keep our supportive audience members excited for the future. My fellow musicians and I are eagerly looking forward to working with him and to starting a new chapter with this incredible orchestra.”
During an on-stage interview with Maria Hall-Brown of PBS SoCal, Shelley talked about growing up in a musical household.
“I am the child of musicians,” he said. “Our household had five grand pianos—my father was a concert pianist, my mother also played with orchestras, and my grandmother was a pianist and cellist, so I grew up in a household filled with music. May parents communicated with music.”
Shelley took up the cello, but eventually traded his bow for a baton, and gained widespread attention when he was unanimously awarded first prize at the 2005 Leeds Conductors’ Competition, praised as “the most exciting and gifted young conductor to have taken this highly prestigious award.”
“The competition was a springboard—the next 10 years were a baptism by fire,” said Shelley.”
After conducting two Pacific Symphony classics concerts over the past year, Shelley had nothing but praise for Pacific Symphony.
“I remember the flexibility of the orchestra, and the beauty of the sound in here,” recalled Shelley. “A great orchestra can play all the notes, the question is what is the resonance, what color are we looking for, is it a white wine sound or a red wine sound, is it an autumnal palate, is it a spring palate. What you should feel are the changes in the sound of an orchestra, and this auditorium offers that. My job is to set the parameters of a particular sound and make sure the ensemble hears what that color and sound is, and then press ‘Control S’ and save it. The range you can produce in this auditorium is astonishing.”
In a video message from St.Clair played for the press conference attendees, St.Clair endorsed Shelley’s appointment, saying, “What an exciting day for Pacific Symphony. I am pleased and honored to welcome Alexander Shelley as the third music director of Pacific Symphony. His talents as conductor and music director and community builder have been lauded and praised internationally. More importantly, he has captured the hearts and inspired the musicians of the Pacific Symphony. I assure you that the future of Pacific Symphony is in good hands. I am proudly passing on the baton and welcome him as the next Music Director of Pacific Symphony.”
To conclude the press conference, six musicians from Pacific Symphony performed an arrangement of Handel’s “Water Music.”
Shelley will return to Orange County in May 2025 to lead Pacific Symphony in its subscription concerts. The three performances—May 1, 2, and 3 at 8 p.m. at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa—will be Shelley’s first appearances with the Symphony since being named to his new role.
The May program opens with Tan Dun’s Jubilation (from Heaven Earth Mankind), followed by Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto (Piano Concerto No. 5) with piano soloist George Li, Iman Habibi’s Jeder Baum spricht (Every Tree Speaks), and concludes with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.
Visit www.pacificsymphony.org to learn more.
