Matías Tarnopolsky became President and CEO of the New York Philharmonic in January 2025. Prior to this role, he served as President and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts, where he worked closely with Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin to shape a bold, inclusive future for the performing arts in Philadelphia.
Under his leadership, The Philadelphia Orchestra became a model for artistic excellence and social impact, presenting diverse, multi-genre programming across multiple venues and reaching millions annually. Tarnopolsky was instrumental in the historic post-pandemic merger between the Orchestra and the Kimmel Center, creating Ensemble Arts Philadelphia in 2024—a pioneering presenting brand.
His tenure in Philadelphia was marked by landmark achievements. In 2022, the organization received a Tony Award for its role in producing Stephen Sondheim’s Company, a Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance, and a Diapason d’or for the recording of Florence Price’s First and Third Symphonies. In 2024, he led the renaming of Verizon Hall as Marian Anderson Hall, the world’s first major concert venue named after a Black artist and civil rights icon.
Tarnopolsky championed equity and access by expanding the classical canon, amplifying BIPOC voices, launching free public festivals, and creating the Digital Stage. He encouraged dialogue on social justice and modernized the Orchestra’s dress code to reflect a more inclusive ethos. These initiatives significantly broadened and diversified the institution’s audience.
During his leadership, the Orchestra received its largest-ever financial gift, established a free ticket program for the Philadelphia School District, and was named Gramophone’s 2020 Orchestra of the Year. He also initiated a major partnership with the University of Pennsylvania, transferring the Orchestra’s archives to the Kislak Center to ensure public and scholarly access to its rich musical heritage.
In 2023, Tarnopolsky led the Orchestra’s landmark return to China, commemorating 50 years since its groundbreaking 1973 tour—the first by an American orchestra. Occurring alongside the Biden–Xi summit, the visit highlighted the ensemble’s role in cultural diplomacy. Tarnopolsky authored a guest essay in The New York Times emphasizing the arts’ power to build international bridges.
A passionate arts advocate, Tarnopolsky previously held senior roles with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and BBC Symphony Orchestra. He also served as executive and artistic director of Cal Performances at UC Berkeley, the largest university-based performing arts presenter in the U.S. Born in Buenos Aires and raised in London, he holds degrees in music and musicology from King’s College London.
He serves on several boards and advisory councils, including the Avery Fisher Artist Program, the Tianjin Juilliard School, and the Philadelphia Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. His honors include being named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture, and receiving the William J. Clothier II Award from the Pan American Association of Philadelphia. In 2021, Philadelphia Business Journal named him one of the city’s Most Admired CEOs.
