Gustavo Dudamel to Step Down from Paris Opera Post

“Gustavo Dudamel, just on the heels of conducting three sold-out Mahler Ninth Symphony performances at the New York Philharmonic, has resigned as music director of the Paris Opera, four years ahead of schedule,” writes Susan Elliott in Thursday’s (5/25) Musical America (subscription required). “His decision takes effect in August, just two years into the job—the shortest tenure for any music director in the Paris Opera’s history. The 42-year-old conductor, who takes over as the New York Phil’s artistic chief in 2026, as he leaves the same post in Los Angeles, has said that he wishes to spend more time with his family. His wife, his 12-year-old son, parents, and grandmother live in Spain. ‘It is with a heavy heart and after long consideration that I announce my resignation,’ he said in a statement. ‘I have no plans other than to be with my loved ones, to whom I am deeply grateful…’ Alexander Neef, the general director of the Paris Opera, praised the conductor and thanked him for his time with the organization. Neef himself is just two years in the job.”