The New York Philharmonic has named Alan Gilbert's successor as Music Director - Jaap van Zweden. He will assume the role at the start of the 2018-19 season after a year as Music Director Designate; he will be the orchestra's 26th Music Director.

Jaap van Zweden is currently Music Director of both the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (since 2008) and the Hong Kong Philharmonic (since 2012). 'This is one of the happiest and most fulfilling days of my life,' said van Zweden. 'To be asked by the great musicians of the New York Philharmonic and by the Board of this iconic institution to be its Music Director is truly an honour.'

Van Zweden started his career as the youngest-ever leader of Amsterdam's Concertgebouw Orchestra – he'd studied at New York's Juilliard School – and started conducting thanks to encouragement from Leonard Bernstein. Previous appointments have included roles with the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic.

He has an extensive discography that includes the complete Beethoven, Brahms and Bruckner symphonies, Mahler's Fifth (with the LPO). He is also a noted Wagnerian with recordings to his name of Lohengrin, Die Meistersinger and Parsifal and has recently recorded the second instalment (Die Walküre) in a planned Ring cycle with the Hong Kong PO for Naxos. In March, with the Dallas SO, he releases Mahler's Third Symphony.