PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra today announced the extension of Music Director Manfred Honeck’s contract through the 2032/2033 season.
This renewal marks a 25-year partnership, making him the longest-serving music director in the orchestra’s 131-year history.
Honeck has served as the orchestra’s music director since 2008. The extension ensures long-term artistic continuity for the Symphony, which has gained international recognition under his leadership.
Honeck expressed his feelings about the ongoing partnership.
“For nearly two decades I have felt a very special relationship with this orchestra. From my first performances, I sensed a unique spirit of devotion to the music and power in execution. Our relationship is built on trust, dedication and a shared desire to reach the deepest meaning of the music we perform. I remain grateful and proud of this partnership and inspired by what we can continue to accomplish together in the years ahead.”
Melia Tourangeau, President & CEO of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, highlighted Honeck’s impact.
“From the very beginning of his tenure, Honeck has inspired this orchestra, our audiences and our city through an extraordinary devotion to music and an artistic passion that has made an enduring mark on our history,” Tourangeau said. “The relationship between Manfred and the musicians is one of profound trust and musical connection. Together they have built an internationally celebrated partnership that has elevated this orchestra to new heights. This renewal reflects our commitment and shared belief in the importance of such ambition and continuity that continues to build momentum for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s future.”
Under Honeck’s leadership, the orchestra launched its critically acclaimed “Pittsburgh Live! Recording” series with Reference Recordings. This series has earned 12 GRAMMY Award nominations and three wins, including Best Orchestral Performance for the “Shostakovich Symphony No. 5/Barber Adagio for Strings” album.
Honeck has also led the PSO on regular European tours, including four appearances at the prestigious Salzburg Festival as the only American orchestra. Upcoming tour stops include the Salzburg Festival again in August 2026. The orchestra has also visited the Lucerne Festival, season-opening performances at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and Vienna’s Konzerthaus. Most recently, the orchestra received positive reviews upon its return to Carnegie Hall in December 2025.
“Maestro Honeck works tirelessly with the orchestra to bring out a multitude of details as well as delivering performances of great meaning and immediate impact, for which the PSO is known and with today’s historic announcement, there is a sense of excitement and pride that this special relationship and way of making music together will continue,” said David McCarroll, Concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Honeck’s legacy also includes a distinctive body of creative projects. These range from new commissions and premieres by composers such as Carlos Simon, Mason Bates, Lera Auerbach, James MacMillan, Samy Moussa and Jessie Montgomery, to his own symphonic suites and semi-staged choral works. His tenure has facilitated collaborations with leading artists across disciplines, including Anne-Sophie Mutter, Yo-Yo Ma, Lang Lang, John Williams and F. Murray Abraham, while also fostering a new generation of performers.
For his work in championing the music of Austrian composer Anton Bruckner, Honeck was awarded the Medal of Honor from the Bruckner Society of America in February 2026.
Honeck’s contributions have been recognized with honorary degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, Catholic University of America and Saint Vincent College. In 2018, he led the orchestra and city in the Concert for Peace and Unity in honor of the Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting victims. In 2013, he led The Singing City, a concert that brought thousands of singers from the region together with the Symphony.
“When music is played well, there is a sense that it is the most necessary and urgent thing there is: needed by the audience, crucial from the source of its creation. With the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony, I feel this imperative in each performance. I am honored, excited and inspired to extend this partnership to be 25 years, a milestone that reflects the deepest artistic relationship of my life. I cherish the 18 years I have had with this orchestra and look forward with great anticipation to all that the next seven years will bring,” Honeck said.
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