Alexander Shelley to become Pacific Symphony Orchestra music director for 2026-27 season

COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Alexander Shelley will become music director of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra for the 2026-27 season following the 35-year tenure of Carl St. Clair.

The 45-year-old will be just the third music director for the orchestra after founder Keith Clark (1979-88) and St. Clair, who started in 1990 and turned 72 in June. St. Clair will become music director laureate in 2025-26.

Shelley will have the title of music director designate in 2025-26 before starting a five-year contract as music director, the orchestra announced Wednesday. He will conduct four subscription weeks in 2025-26, and St. Clair three.

Shelley will lead eight of 12 classical subscription weeks plus special events starting in 2026-27. The orchestra has performed 80-85 paid events annually since the pandemic and has had annual ticket revenue of about $6.5 million in each of the last two seasons. Single ticket sales set a record last season as subscriptions declined, an occurrence for many U.S. arts organizations.

Born in London to pianists Hilary Macnamara and Howard Shelley, Alexander Shelley has been music director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Ontario, since 2015. He was chief conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra from 2009-17, and this season began as artistic and music director of Artis-Naples in Florida.