Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale appoints new music director
Irish conductor Peter Whelan is poised to take the role for a three-year term starting next July for the 2026-27 season, which marks the company's 45th anniversary. He steps in for Richard Egarr, who resigned after four years in 2024 to pursue new opportunities.
'I'm just so excited to be starting this new adventure,' Whelan told the Chronicle. 'I think the most important thing nowadays is building a community around the arts and that community is already there in San Francisco.'
Whelan has been highly regarded for the way in which he breathes new life into early music, bringing a vibrant perspective to the works. He made his first appearance with Philharmonia in March, conducting Handel's 'Alceste,' and debuted with the San Francisco Opera in 2022, helming Gluck's ' Orpheus and Eurydice.'
The Chronicle's longtime classical music critic, Joshua Kosman, who retired last year, once praised Whelan as 'an artist of delicate but unmistakable mastery.'
'Peter brings a rare combination of historical insight and creative energy that resonates deeply with our mission,' said Emma Moon, Philharmonia's executive director and CEO. 'His work with us on 'Alceste' was both masterful and inspiring. We're excited to embark on this new chapter with him at the artistic helm.'
Whelan studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and Trinity College Dublin, and has an extensive discography as a solo bassoonist in addition to his work as a conductor.
In 2022, he won a Laurence Olivier Award for outstanding achievement in opera for a production of Vivaldi's 'Bajazet' with Irish National Opera.
Whelan currently serves as artistic director of Irish Baroque Orchestra and founding artistic director of Ensemble Marsyas, both based in the U.K. He plans to initially remain there and travel to San Francisco for rehearsals, concerts and other engagements.
He said that he hopes by bringing his expertise to Philharmonia that he'll be able to foster an environment of inclusivity and community.
'Live concerts and live music making is a place where you can confront biases, you can see how other people feel,' he noted. 'I think that that's such an important thing in the world today.'
Before heading across the pond, however, Whelan is set to make his conducting debut at BBC Proms, an eight-week classical music festival, in August with a performance of Handel's 'Alexander's Feast' alongside the Irish Baroque Orchestra. The milestone performance will mark the ensemble's first Prom appearance and the second time in more than 100 years that an Irish orchestra has performed during the series.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated where Whelan will be living when he begins his new position. He will remain based in the U.K. and travel to San Francisco regularly for the job.
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