As I mentioned in advance of Vineta Sareika’s appearance as guest concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic a few weeks ago, the buzz around the orchestra was palpable, even before the first concert. After those performances, it seemed less a matter of if the orchestra would offer her the position and more about whether she’d accept. Now we know.

Earlier today, the LA Phil officially announced that the Latvian violinist and former Berlin Philharmonic First Concertmaster will be their next Concertmaster. Her tenure begins at the start of the 2026/2027 season.

Some quotes from both Gustavo Dudamel (outgoing Music & Artistic Director) and Daniel Harding (incoming Music Director):

“Vineta is a highly respected and accomplished musician whose artistry, spirit, and leadership reflect everything a great concertmaster should be. She brings not only remarkable experience, but also a deep musical generosity and passion for collaboration. We are thrilled to welcome her to the LA Phil.” — Mr. Dudamel

“I’ve admired Vineta’s playing for years: the intelligence behind every phrase, the integrity, the sense that nothing is ever done for effect. There’s an infectious joy and warmth to the way she plays, that everyone in the room feels. I’m delighted she’s coming to Los Angeles, and I can’t wait to make music with her.” — Mr. Harding

And this from Ms. Sareika herself:

“I am deeply honored to join the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Concertmaster. The orchestra’s artistic excellence is admired throughout the world, but what impressed me most during my time with the musicians was the sense of trust, warmth, and shared commitment I experienced. I felt genuinely welcomed and inspired by their collective desire to create something meaningful together. For me, that spirit of trust and collaboration is an essential foundation for making great music, and I look forward to becoming part of this extraordinary musical community and contributing to the orchestra’s future.”

Ms. Sareika will fill the chair that has been officially vacant since Martin Chalifour retired at the end of Summer 2025; his “Principal Concertmaster” title was retired at the same time. In the interim, LA Phil Associate Concertmaster Bing Wang has been ably filling the position as Acting Concertmaster.

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That Mr. Harding was included in those providing quotes about Ms. Sareika’s appointment is welcome, yet raises some interesting questions. The LA Phil’s press release stated:

The appointment was made following a comprehensive search process led by Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel and members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, in consultation with incoming Music Director Daniel Harding.

Concertmaster hires are officially the exclusive purview of the Music Director, though it is typical for a committee to be involved. That the press release did not phrase it specifically as Mr. Dudamel’s hire is noteworthy. Is this an effort at modesty and collegiality [an on-brand move for Mr. Dudamel]? Moreover, how much and when was Mr. Harding involved in the Concertmaster evaluation process in general and the decision to hire Ms. Sareika specifically? Will update if/when additional information comes to light.

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The process to find Mr. Chalifour’s successor began with open auditions in April 2025. Only one candidate was offered a trial as a result. Additional violinists were subsequently invited to be considered for the position; invited candidates played trials with the orchestra during regular subscription weeks conducted by Mr. Dudamel, plus private excerpts and recitals.

In total, All is Yar confirmed five violinists that were official Concertmaster candidates:

• Yoonshin Song (Concertmaster, Houston Symphony), October 2026: she eventually played 3 weeks with the LA Phil at the start of the 2025/2026 Walt Disney Concert Hall season, leading the orchestra in established repertoire by Mahler, Strauss, and Stravinsky, as well as new works by John Adams and Ellen Reid. She also joined the orchestra on their tour of Asia playing much of the same works.
• Juliette Kang (First Associate Concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra), February 12 – 15, 2026: Humboldt’s Nature by Ricardo Lorenz; Schumann’s Piano Concerto (Yunchan Lim, soloist); and the complete incidental music to Egmont by Beethoven
• Nurit Bar-Josef (Concertmaster, National Symphony), February 26 – March 1, 2026: Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony and Revolución diamantina by Gabriela Ortiz
• Ms. Sareika, May 19 – 24, 2026: Wagner, Die Walküre, two complete performances over six nights, one act per night.
• Nathan Cole (Concertmaster, Boston Symphony; former First Associate Concertmaster, LA Phil), June 3 – 7, 2026: Adams, Harmonium; Estevez, Cantata Criolla; plus other shorter pieces as part of the June 3 showcase for LA Phil musicians

Additionally, David Chan (Concertmaster, MET Orchestra), was invited to play a trial, and appeared with the LA Phil in concerts with Mr. Dudamel March 5 – 8, 2026; however, All is Yar learned that he chose not to participate in the private aspects of the trial process and therefore was not an official candidate at that time. Since then, I’ve not received any indication that he subseuqnetly did those trials to become an official candidate.

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On a related note, All is Yar has learned that no offers have yet been made regarding the vacant First Associate Concertmaster position. The 2nd chair of the First Violin section has been vacant since Mr. Cole was given tenure as Concertmaster of the Boston Symphony and left for that orchestra last year. Alan Snow (Associate Concertmaster, Minnesota Orchestra) and Marc Rovetti (Assistant Concertmaster, Philadelphia Orchestra) were each awarded trials after the April 2025 open auditions for Concertmaster. Both played as guest concertmaster during subscription concerts over the past months. Potential next steps include:

• Either Mr. Snow or Mr. Rovetti could be offered the job for which the played a trial
• One of the runner-ups for the Concertmaster position (i.e. Ms. Song, Ms. Kang, Ms. Bar-Josef, or Mr. Cole) could be offered the 2nd chair as a veritable consolation prize; questions abound if any of them would be interested, though I can see a case for each of them being potentially open to taking it.
• No offer is made.

Also worth noting: the LA Phil’s Assistant Concertmaster (i.e. 4th Chair, First Violins) and the permanent 6th Chair, First Violins, are both still vacant. The most recent Assistant Concertmaster, Akiko Tarumoto, played guest concertmaster on multiple weeks in a non-trial/non-audition capacity under guest conductors over recent months. No auditions have been announced for either position.

[this post will be updated as additional detail and background throughout the day]

RELATED POSTS

• BREAKING: LA Phil names Daniel Harding next Music Director (May 26, 2026)
• BREAKING: Former Berlin Philharmonic First Concertmaster playing with LA Phil during Wagner concerts (May 19, 2026)
• Comings and going at the LA Phil and beyond (March 2026 edition, pt. 2): the latest guest concertmasters, thoughts on oboist Ryan Roberts, and more (March 19, 2026)
• Comings and goings at the LA Phil (Fall 2025 edition, pt. 1): a potential new Concertmaster given a trial, plus other news with the strings (September 25, 2025)

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Photo credit: courtesy of the artist’s website