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New chief conductor for Hessian youth orchestra

The Hessian State Youth Symphony Orchestra (LJSO) has a new chief conductor. The ensemble will now be led by Leslie Suganandarajah. The Sri Lankan-born conductor was introduced on Sunday at the orchestra's 50th anniversary concert, where he also conducted the concert's encore.

Leslie Suganandarajah
and Nicolás Pasquet

Suganandarajah succeeds Nicolás Pasquet, who led the LJSO from 2009 to 2024 and conducted the anniversary concert. The orchestra took two years to find a successor and worked with guest conductors during this time, it was stated.

Suganandarajah said he was delighted to be appointed chief conductor of the LJSO Hessen. "Working with young people is particularly close to my heart because I myself have experienced how formative playing music together and inspiring musical encounters can be." His goal with the orchestra is "to make music an experience.".

Suganandarajah has been Music Director of the Salzburg State Theatre since 2019. In the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons, he will also serve as Chief Conductor of the Concert Division at the Oldenburg State Theatre. In 2027, he will also become General Music Director at the Freiburg Theatre.

Born in Sri Lanka in 1983, the conductor grew up in Hanover. He studied piano and conducting at the music academies in Hanover, Lübeck, and Weimar, where he was taught by Nicolás Pasquet, among others. This led to his connection with the LJSO Hessen (Hesse State Youth Symphony Orchestra). In 2012, Suganandarajah first worked with the orchestra as Pasquet's assistant. He was the ensemble's guest conductor in 2017 and 2025.

The Hessian State Youth Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1976. It fosters talented young musicians aged 13 to 22. Since 2022, the LJSO has been one of four Hessian state youth ensembles under the auspices of the state-owned Junge Musik Hessen gGmbH (Young Music Hesse) and is funded by the Hessian Ministry of Culture. In its 50 years of existence, the orchestra has accompanied numerous musicians on their path to a professional career.

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