The Munich Philharmonic has appointed a new Music Director.

The organization said that Lahav Shani will succeed Valery Gergiev after he was fired in February 2023 for continuing to support the Putin regime in the midst of the war in Ukraine.

Shani is a 34-year-old conductor born in Tel Aviv who studied at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv and has appeared with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and Berliner Philharmoniker. He is a protegé of Daniel Barenboim

He is currently the Chief Conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, where he will leave in 2026, and the Music Director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, taking over from Zubin Mehta who held the position for 50 years. Shani was previously Principal Guest Conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.