On 14 July 2021, the Board of Trustees of the Gran Teatre del Liceu Foundation approved the renewal of Josep Pons’s contract as Music Director for four additional seasons, through the end of the 2025/26 season. The decision ensured the continuity of the musical project launched when he took up the position in 2012.
The renewal formed part of a broader reorganisation of the theatre’s musical department, designed to consolidate the artistic development of the Gran Teatre del Liceu Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, broaden their field of activity and respond to new artistic, educational, social and audience-related challenges. Under the new structure, Conxita Garcia became Deputy Music Director, while Pablo Assante took over as Chorus Director.
Since the beginning of his tenure, Josep Pons had led a project conceived from and for the orchestra, focusing on renewing its repertoire, strengthening the distinctive sound of the theatre’s resident ensembles and expanding their presence beyond the opera pit. After nine years of work, the Liceu highlighted the orchestra’s artistic growth and its consolidation as one of Spain’s leading ensembles.
The new period also envisaged a stronger international and recording profile, with projects including a performance of Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle at the Paris Opera and the beginning of a new partnership with Harmonia Mundi. The extension through 2026 therefore reaffirmed the Liceu’s confidence in a long-term project built around the development of its orchestra and chorus, artistic excellence and the creation of a distinctive musical identity.