Spain's Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias Appoints New Chief Conductor

The Principality of Asturias Symphony Orchestra (OSPA) announced that its Board of Directors unanimously decided upon Coelho from among 30 applicants. The applicants were evaluated by a team of three members: two musicians of the orchestra and an external person with knowledge in artistic programming in an Asturian institution.

The position has been vacant since August 2019. Nuno Coelho will assume the responsibility for the artistic direction of OSPA for three years, with extensions available.

As the principal conductor, Coelho will conduct rehearsals, concerts, recordings, and performances, in addition to raising the quality of artistic excellence.

Born in Porto in 1989, Coelho won the Cadaqués International Orchestra Conducting Competition in 2017 and has served as guest conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra since 2018.

A graduate of the Zürich University of the Arts with Johannes Schlaefli, he served as a Tanglewood Conducting Fellow in 2016/2017 and a Los Angeles Philharmonic Dudamel Fellow in the 2018/2019 season.

A previous assistant Conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic, Coelho also won first Prize at the Portuguese Radio Conducting Competition, the Neeme Järvi Prize at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, and was a finalist at the Nestlé and Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Competition.

In the spring of 2019, he replaced Bernard Haitink at the head of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.