Another major California institution has chosen a music director who is a product of Venezuela’s El Sistema music education program. Domingo Hindoyan will assume the leadership role at Los Angeles Opera on July 1, 2026, succeeding James Conlon, who will take on the newly created role of conductor laureate.
The Venezuelan Armenian conductor, who has signed a five-year contract with the company, follows fellow El Sistema alumni Gustavo Dudamel at the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Rafael Payare at the San Diego Symphony. Born in 1980, Hindoyan trained as a violinist in Venezuela before moving to Switzerland to study conducting with Laurent Gay.
The chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra since 2021, he has also conducted at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Paris Opera, as well as led the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and The Cleveland Orchestra. He has released six albums to date with Liverpool Philharmonic.
Hindoyan made his LA Phil debut in March 2024 and his LA Opera debut in November 2024, conducting Charles Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet for the latter. Reviewing the production, Los Angeles Times critic Mark Swed called Hindoyan “a conductor of remarkable eloquence” and “a rising star.”
In a statement, Hindoyan said he is “deeply honored” to join the company and “excited to be part of this community and to contribute to its artistic life.”
“We considered dozens of exceptional candidates from around the world — but Domingo emerged as the clear choice,” said Christopher Koelsch, LA Opera’s president and CEO. “He brings not only exceptional musical and symphonic fluency, but also a disarming warmth and charisma that draws others to his creative orbit.”
Hindoyan, who is married to soprano Sonya Yoncheva, will be the company’s third music director. He follows Kent Nagano and Conlon, who will wrap up his two-decade stint with the company this coming season, 2025–2026.
