Gustavo Dudamel has announced his resignation from the role of music director at the Paris Opéra. He leaves his position with the company in August, just two years into an intended six-year tenure, to spend more time with family.

In a statement released to the press on Thursday 25 May, Dudamel said: 'It is with a heavy heart and after long consideration that I announce my resignation in order to spend more time with my family.’

‘I have no plans other than to be with my loved ones, to whom I am deeply grateful for helping me to continue to be strong in my resolve to grow and remain challenged, both personally and artistically, each and every day.’

The announcement from Dudamel comes following the news in February of his appointment as the next music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic. His contract with the orchestra begins with the 2026-27 season, when he will in turn depart his other current post as music director of the Los Angeles Philarmonic.

Dudamel had been scheduled to conduct the Paris Opéra in a new production of Lohengrin in September 2024, and was to lead performances of Thomas Adès’s The Exterminating Angel in February and March of next year*.* The Paris Opéra intend to announce adjustments to scheduled performances at a later date.