BSO ends maestro Andris Nelsons’ contract

Late Friday afternoon, Boston Symphony Orchestra president and CEO Chad Smith and the Board of Trustees sent out an email announcing the end of music director Andris Nelsons’ tenure.

The maestro was hired in 2013 and officially joined the orchestra a year later as the youngest music director in more than a century. According to the announcement, Nelsons will stay on through the end of the 2027 Tanglewood season.

The notice said: “The decision to not renew his contract was made by the BSO’s Board of Trustees because, beyond our shared desire to ensure our orchestra continues to perform at the highest levels, the BSO and Andris Nelsons were not aligned on future vision.”

The letter added that Smith and the trustees are “immensely grateful for maestro Nelsons’ 13 years of dedicated service to the BSO, and his many contributions in his role as both music director, and as head of conducting at the Tanglewood Music Center. We look forward to properly celebrating and honoring his tenure throughout the 2026-2027 season.”

Looking ahead, they went on to say a course for the BSO’s future would put “our beloved orchestra in a position to thrive in the years ahead, we and maestro Nelsons are committed to ensuring a smooth, professional conclusion to his tenure as music Director so that we can continue our vital work together of making music at the highest level of excellence, and serving as an artistic and civic pillar in Boston, the Berkshires, and beyond.”

The news comes on the heels of the BSO’s two Grammy Award wins in February, including for the recording, “Shostakovich: The Cello Concertos,” performed with Yo-Yo Ma. Under Nelson’s direction, the BSO won four Grammys for the complete Shostakovich Symphony box set.

In January 2024, the BSO announced Nelson’s contract would shift to one that was “evergreen” and “rolling.”

The organization did not make anyone available for further comment.