Leading an orchestra does not mean taking up the baton. The artistic and managing director does not cue the horns; she does, however, help shape which music is programmed, how an institution addresses its audience and how work behind the scenes is organised. Since 1 November 2026, that responsibility has rested with Madeleine Landlinger, who is to lead the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra for five years.
The occasion is a change of leadership, but the real news is an expectation: Landlinger wants to shape the orchestra’s future through its programming and develop a stronger culture of participation. What that means in practice remains open. This is precisely the task she faces as she takes office: translating broad concepts into decisions that can be tested in concert life.
Experience, but not yet a fully formed programme
The orchestra describes Landlinger as a cultural manager with international experience. She is said to have spent around 15 years in senior roles with concert orchestras — as an orchestra managing director, artistic and managing director, and most recently as Artistic Director of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra. The German Cultural Council lists the same career stages, but provides no detailed information about individual projects or programming decisions. The announcements reviewed do not include a comprehensive biography that would offer a clearer picture of her artistic preferences or her working methods to date.
At her introduction in Nürnberg, Landlinger named artistic quality, openness and social participation as her priorities. She praised the orchestra’s openness to diverse musical and performance cultures and said that, for her, a strong culture of participation was an important step in modern orchestral practice. This is a statement of intent, not yet a description of a work plan. Whose voices are to be involved in future programming discussions, and how decisions will be negotiated between the artistic and managing director, chief conductor Jonathan Darlington and the musicians — the information made public so far offers no answers.
Public engagement begins before the concert
An orchestra’s encounter with its audience does not begin with the first note. The choice of works already sets a framework: it can reaffirm the familiar, open up unfamiliar ways of listening or place different musical languages side by side. Education and outreach activities, accessibility and the handling of feedback also help determine who feels addressed. These are not incidental to the art, but part of an orchestra’s public role.
For Landlinger, participation will therefore not be judged solely on whether it is stated as an aim. What would matter is whether it takes shape in specific formats, transparent processes and a discernible relationship with the audience. Collaboration within the orchestra is equally important: participation can mean drawing on the musicians’ expertise early in the planning process, but it need not mean putting every artistic decision to a vote. How Landlinger understands this balance has yet to be demonstrated.
The test lies in everyday practice
According to the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, she was elected unanimously, with all key functions within the orchestra involved in the selection process. This demonstrates a broadly based search process, but says nothing yet about how a lasting say in decisions will be organised in future. A good start is no substitute for accountability over the next steps.
Landlinger’s task is thus twofold: she is to develop the orchestra artistically while also explaining how it will open itself up, without reducing musical quality to a buzzword. This will become evident in programmes, partnerships and working methods — not in the sheer number of public declarations. For now, the opening of her Nürnberg chapter is marked above all by an ambition. Whether this becomes a practice that can be heard and experienced by audience and ensemble alike is the question against which her tenure must be judged.
Original reviewed by the editors · 3 November 2026
