David LaMarche Named Music Director of American Ballet Theatre

Conductor Begins New Role August 1, 2026, Continuing a Nearly Three-Decade Relationship with the Company

NEW YORK, NY - American Ballet Theatre announced today that David LaMarche will become the Company's next Music Director, effective August 1, 2026. LaMarche joined ABT in 1998 and has served as a conductor with the Company for nearly three decades, leading performances across its repertory both in New York and on tour.

LaMarche has led performances for companies including San Francisco Ballet, New York City Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Houston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and the Paris Opera, among others. He has directed orchestras around the world, including the Houston Symphony, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the Paris Opera Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. He currently serves as Music Director of the Paul Taylor Dance Company, a post he has held since 2022, and teaches as an adjunct faculty member at the Juilliard School.

"With David, the Company is in extraordinary hands," said Susan Jaffe, Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre. "Our orchestra is vital to the success of everything we do onstage, and that success depends on a true partnership between our musicians and our dancers. David has lived that partnership for nearly thirty years. He understands our dancers, our repertory, and our history in a way that few others do, and I could not be prouder to welcome him into this new role."

"ABT has remained at the center of my professional life for almost thirty years, first as a pianist and then as a conductor," said LaMarche. "Both the dancers and the orchestra perform at the highest level, and I love being the conduit between these terrific artists. I look forward to building on this relationship and finding new ways to involve the orchestra in the future of the Company."

Before joining ABT, LaMarche served as Music Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem from 1993 to 1998, where he conducted many of the company's premieres and composed and arranged several scores for its repertory. Over a career spanning more than forty years in the dance field, he has become one of the most respected conductors working in ballet today.

ABOUT AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE

American Ballet Theatre is one of the greatest dance companies in the world. Revered as a national treasure since its founding season in 1940, its mission is to create, present, preserve, and extend the great repertoire of classical dancing for the widest possible audience. Headquartered in New York City, ABT is the only cultural institution of its size and stature to extensively tour, enchanting audiences for eight decades in 50 U.S. states, 45 countries, and over 480 cities worldwide. ABT's repertoire includes full-length classics from the nineteenth century, the finest works from the early twentieth century, and acclaimed contemporary masterpieces. In 2006, by an act of Congress, ABT was designated America's National Ballet Company^®.

For more information, please visit https://www.abt.org.

Back To ABT News >>