Giancarlo Guerrero conducts the Grant Park Music Festival in July 2024 (Photo: Charles Osgood courtesy Grant Park Music Festival)

Giancarlo Guerrero has been announced as the new artistic director and principal conductor of Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival. The appointment is effective immediately, and begins with the programming of the cherished summer festival’s 2025 season.

Guerrero made his festival conducting debut in 2008, and this past season, the 55-year-old conductor led the Grant Park Orchestra in two programs featuring works by Shostakovich and Beethoven.

The six-time Grammy-winning Costa Rican conductor has been music director of the Nashville Symphony since 2009 — he has announced his tenure will conclude following this current ‘24-25 season. That coincides not just with his taking the reins at Grant Park, but also another new artistic leadership role as music director of Florida’s Sarasota Orchestra.

Born in Nicaragua, Guerrero immigrated to Costa Rica as a child, where he became involved in classical music. While in Costa Rica, Guerrero tuned in to WFMT's Chicago Symphony Orchestra radio broadcasts via satellite radio. The program helped inspire his career in classical music. In a 2019 interview with WFMT, Guerrero reflected that "WFMT was the voice that brought the message of the CSO to Costa Rica."

Guerrero is particularly acclaimed for his commitment to new repertoire — each of his six Grammys has been for recordings of music by contemporary American composers.

The conductor holds degrees in percussion and conducting from Baylor University and a Master’s degree in conducting from Northwestern University. His career has included artistic leadership stints at Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Orchestra, Poland’s Wroclaw Philharmonic, and Oregon’s Eugene Symphony.

Guerrero succeeds Carlos Kalmar, who wrapped up his 25-year tenure leading the festival at the end of the 2024 season. The Uruguayan conductor had served as the festival’s principal conductor since 2000, and in 2011, was also named the Festival’s Artistic Director.

Founded in the 1930s, the Grant Park Music Festival is one of the US’s only free, outdoor classical music series. From the striking, Frank Gehry-designed Pritzker Pavilion stage in Chicago’s flagship Millennium Park, the free, open air concert series welcomes hundreds of thousands across its 10-week summer run. Through eclectic and unique programming, the festival provides an accessible classical music platform to audience members of all backgrounds and experience levels. Each year, WFMT partners with the festival for a series of live broadcasts from the Pritzker Pavilion stage.