Alan Gilbert to Step Down from New York Philharmonic Post 2017

It has been announced today that Alan Gilbert is set to step down from his post as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, in August 2017 – at the conclusion of his 8th season with the orchestra.

Gilbert, 47, has told the New York Times “...he had decided to leave then to allow the next music director to build a relationship with concertgoers before construction begins on the hall, which is now expected to start in 2019.”

“We’ve accomplished a lot,” he has said, “...the orchestra’s changed in a lot of ways — ways that a lot of people said wouldn’t be possible when I started ... the chemistry’s very strong.”

Gilbert has said he has no specific plans for his post-Philharmonic life - and has indicated Simon Rattles' decision to step down from the Berlin Philharmonic, in 2018 played no role in the decision.