Exclusive: Washington chooses next music director

We hear that players in the National Symphony Orchestra have expressed a strong preference and the Kennedy Center president, Deborah Rutter, has got his signature on a contract.

The next music director, succeeding Christoph Eschenbach, will be… Gianandrea Noseda.

You read it here first.

The Italian is presently in New York, conducting Pearl Fishers at the Met. He is expected in Washington in the next few days to announce the appointment.

Noseda, 51, first made his mark as Gergiev’s house conductor at the Mariinsky in St Petersburg. He went on to the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester in 2002, adding the Teatro Regio Torino five years later.

He is principal guest conductor with the Israel Philharmonic and was a strong contender with the LSO, where he missed out to Simon Rattle. Over the past two years, his US reputation has risen fast and he was among the potential candidates for the New York Philharmonic.

Noseda is a terrific catch for DC: energetic, committed, smart and very experienced. Our informant says: ‘The orchestra couldn’t be more thrilled to know an exciting and probing conductor is going to lead them after chaotic, catastrophic, dull and messy period of Eschy……..’