COSTA MESA, California. –Alexander Shelley, Carl St. Following Clair’s 35-year tenure, he will become music director of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra for the 2026-27 season.

The 45-year-old performer is a member of the orchestra’s founder, Keith Clark (1979-88), and the St. Louis band, which began in 1990 and turns 72 in June. He will be the orchestra’s third music director, after St. Clair. St. Clair will be awarded the musical director award in 2025-26.

The orchestra announced Wednesday that Shelley will assume the title of music director in 2025-26 before beginning a five-year contract as music director. Four in 2025-26, St. Clair will run a subscription week for three weeks.

Shelley will lead eight of the 12 classic subscription weeks and special events starting in 2026-27. The orchestra has performed 80-85 paid events annually since the pandemic, generating approximately $6.5 million in annual ticket revenue in each of the last two seasons. Single ticket sales broke a record last season as subscriptions decreased; This is also the case with many arts organizations in the United States.

Born in London to pianists Hilary Macnamara and Howard Shelley, Alexander Shelley has been the music director of the Canadian National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa, Ontario, since 2015. He served as principal conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra from 2009-17, and began this season as artistic and musical director of Artis-Naples in Florida.