San Rafael, CA, July 8, 2025—Marin Symphony Orchestra has announced that internationally acclaimed conductor, musician, and educator Fawzi Haimor will be its new Music Director beginning with the 2025-2026 season featuring 21 performances of nine programs from October 2025 through May 2026. Haimor has conducted distinguished orchestras in the US and around the world including the National Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony, BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Philharmonic, as well as the Pittsburgh Symphony, where he served as Assistant Conductor and Resident Conductor. He was Music Director of Germany’s prestigious Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, conducting the WPR in their home at the Stadthalle Reutlingen, as well as on their tours throughout Germany and Europe. Haimor’s appointment is the culmination of an international search spanning three years following the retirement of former Music Director Alasdair Neale in 2023 after 22 years on the Marin Symphony podium. Details about the 2025-26 Season may be found below; for more information about new Music Director Fawzi Haimor and the Season, visit www.marinsymphony.org .
“After a three-year search during which we reviewed applications from many extremely well-qualified candidates, we are absolutely thrilled to welcome Fawzi Haimor as our new Music Director,” said Steven Machtinger, President of the Marin Symphony’s Board of Directors and co-chair of its Search Committee. “His exceptional artistry, innovative programming ideas, passion for live orchestral music, and deep commitment to community engagement align perfectly with our vision for the orchestra’s future. We are confident that under his baton, the orchestra will reach new heights of artistic excellence and resonate with audiences old and new.”
“Fawzi Haimor is the perfect choice to succeed Alasdair Neale, as only the fourth Music Director in the Marin Symphony’s 73-year history,” commented Tod Brody, Marin Symphony Executive Director. “Fawzi’s humanity and collaborative spirit have shone so brightly in his interactions with musicians, staff, and patrons, and his work with our orchestra was first-rate. Musicians found him inspiring, intelligent, and kind, and spoke of his communication skills and his ‘comfort and confidence on the podium.’ We’ve already begun our work together, and I’m very enthused about what he will bring to the people of Marin.”
New Music Director Fawzi Haimor said, “It’s an incredible honor to join the Marin Symphony as its next Music Director. Having spent most of my life in the Bay Area, the chance to collaborate with these exceptional musicians and serve a community I care so deeply about—our community—feels both personal and profound. From the very first rehearsal, I was struck by the orchestra’s sense of purpose, artistic integrity, and collective commitment to excellence. I’ve always believed that an orchestra’s role extends beyond the stage—it’s about connection, belonging, and enriching lives through music. To contribute to that spirit here in Marin is a true privilege, and I can’t wait to begin.”
Marin Symphony’s 2025-26 season sponsors include Koret Foundation, Marin Cultural Association, Marin Independent Journal, Sequoia Living, KDFC, Bon Air Center, Unicorn Group
MARIN SYMPHONY 2025 SEASON SCHEDULE
For Fawzi Haimor’s inaugural season as Marin Symphony Music Director, he has chosen Masterworks programs that each contain works new to Marin audiences, while giving full due to the core repertoire with symphonies from Brahms, Beethoven, and Dvořák. Our exciting array of soloists includes Marin favorites Principal Pianist John Wilson in two Liszt blockbusters, and Concertmaster Ani Bukujian playing Bartók’s rhapsodic Violin Concerto #1 and Ernest Chausson’s beautiful Poeme. San Francisco Symphony superstar Principal Clarinet Carey Bell solos in Mozart’s immortal concerto, and Bay Area native Oliver Herbert, now enjoying international stardom, returns to the Marin Symphony with Shostakovich’s thrilling first Cello Concerto.
The Marin Symphony Chorus is featured in two forms: The elite Chamber Chorus performs in the traditional Holiday Choral Concerts by Candlelight at the beautiful Church of Saint Raphael, and the full chorus is featured in its own program in the spring. Two chamber music programs, featuring Marin Symphony All-Stars, and a special Pops concert “Bats & Bugs & Birds, Oh My!” conducted by the inimitable Principal Pops Conductor Stuart Chafetz, round out the season’s offerings.
Season subscriptions will be available beginning in August and single tickets go on sale September 2 at www.marinsymphony.org .
MASTERWORKS PROGRAMS
Performances at the James Dunn Theatre, College of Marin
Masterworks 1
Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 3 pm and 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 3 pm
Fawzi Haimor, conductor
John Wilson, piano
Program: John Psathas: Tarantismo; Liszt: Hungarian Fantasy and Totentanz; Brahms: Symphony #2 in D Major, Op.73
Masterworks 2
Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 3 pm and 7:30 pm
Sunday, January 11, 2026 at 3 pm
Fawzi Haimor, conductor
Carey Bell, clarinet
Program: Fanny Mendelssohn: Overture in C Major; Mozart: Clarinet Concerto, K.622; Beethoven: Symphony #7 in A Major, Op.92
Masterworks 3
Saturday, April 11, at 3 pm and 7:30 pm
Sunday, April 12, at 3 pm
Fawzi Haimor, conductor
Ani Bukujian, violin
Program: Mason Bates: Mothership; Bartók: Violin Concerto #1; Ginastera: Estancia; Chausson: Poeme; de Falla: Suite #2 from The Three-Cornered Hat
Masterworks 4
Saturday May 30, at 3 pm and 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 31, at 3 pm
Fawzi Haimor, conductor
Oliver Herbert, cello
Program: Valerie Coleman: Umoja; Shostakovich Cello Concerto #1 in E-flat Major, Op.107; Dvořák: Symphony #8 in G Major, Op.88
CHAMBER MUSIC PROGRAMS
Chamber Music 1
Saturday, October 4, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Marin Country Club, Novato
Sunday October 5, 2025 at 3 pm
Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church, Mill Valley
Program: Grażyna Bacewicz: Quartet for Violins; Schubert: Trout Quintet, D.667
Chamber Music 2
Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Marin Country Club, Novato
Sunday, March 29, 2026 at 3 pm
Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church, Mill Valley
Program: Madeleine Dring: Trio for flute, oboe, & piano; Irving Fine, Partita for Wind Quintet
MARIN SYMPHONY CHORAL CONCERTS
Holiday Choral Concerts by Candlelight
Saturday, December 6, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 7, 2025 at 4 pm
Church of Saint Raphael
Traditional and contemporary holiday music and carols
Choral Concert 2
Saturday, March 14, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 15, 2026 at 3 pm
Marin School of the Arts
Program to be announced
MARIN SYMPHONY POPS
February 21, 2026 at 7:30 pm
February 22, 2026 at 3:00 pm
Marin Center Exhibit Hall, San Rafael
Stuart Chafetz, Principal Pops Conductor
Program: Bats & Bugs & Birds, Oh My!: Light classics, TV themes, and even some Beatles, conducted by Principal Pops conductor Stuart Chafetz
ABOUT FAWZI HAIMOR, MARIN SYMPHONY MUSIC DIRECTOR
Praised for his “inspiring conducting”, his “sensitivity and his ability to create a defined, transparent sound” and his “sense of drama and his particular gift for strong, emphatic finishes,” American conductor Fawzi Haimor’s international career has seen him leading distinguished orchestras throughout the US and around the world, including the National Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, for which he served as Assistant Conductor and Resident Conductor for three years.
From 2017 – 2020, Haimor was Music Director of Germany’s Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, conducting the WPR in their home at the Stadthalle Reutlingen, as well as on their tours throughout Germany and Europe.
Recent appearances include the Deustche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pflaz with soloist Nils Mönkemeyer, the Edmonton Symphony, and a return to the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen. Last season to critical acclaim, Haimor made his third tour appearance with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra this time, collaborating with composer John Psathas, in presenting a concert of remembrance, hope, and unity on the fifth anniversary of the harrowing Christchurch Mosque Massacre.
Haimor’s extensive credits include conducting eloquent performances of the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, Deutsche Radiophilharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, Orquesta Sinfónica do Porto da Música, Oulu Sinfonia, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Odense Symphony, Kyoto Symphony, Qatar Philharmonic, and Chineke! Orchestra, among others.
During his tenure with the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, Haimor recorded three albums for CPO Records which included Orchestral Works of George Antheil, the Piano Concertos of Eduard Franck with Georg Michael Grau, and Furtwängler’s Symphony No.1 which received critical acclaim. Additionally, during his second collaboration with the orchestra, Haimor and London based Chineke! recorded works by Coleridge-Taylor on the Decca label.
US audiences have also seen Haimor on the podium conducting The Florida Orchestra, Utah Symphony, Grant Park Symphony, Symphoria, Virginia Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, and the Louisiana Philharmonic.
With a repertoire that includes a focus on works of the late German Romantic period and by 19th and 20th century Russian and American composers, Haimor is also a committed advocate of contemporary music, performing premieres by composers such as Mason Bates and Kareem Roustom.
Haimor was born in Chicago in 1983 and educated in the Middle East and in San Francisco. He completed his violin training at the Jacobs School of Music in Indiana University and studied conducting under David Effron and Arthur Fagen. He earned bachelor’s degrees in both music and neurobiology, a master’s degree in conducting from the University of California-Davis, and second master’s in instrumental conducting at Indiana University.
ABOUT MARIN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Marin Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1952 by a group of San Francisco Symphony musicians who lived in Marin County, and who thought their home county should have its own orchestra. The orchestra, under the baton of its first Music Director Sandor Salgo, performed in local high school and college auditoriums until the 2,000-seat Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium was opened in 1970.
Gary Sheldon succeeded Maestro Salgo in 1990 and was in turn succeeded by Alasdair Neale in 2001. Maestro Neale led the ensemble to ever-greater musical heights until his retirement in 2022. With the appointment of Fawzi Haimor as the orchestra’s fourth Music Director, the Marin Symphony continues on its path of providing musical joy, beauty, and comfort to all the people of Marin.
Originally a mix of professional and high-level amateur players, the Marin Symphony is now a fully professional orchestra, populated by many of the Bay Area’s finest musicians.
In addition to the orchestra, the Marin Symphony serves the county’s youth with its three-tiered youth orchestra program, culminating in the celebrated Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Jim Stopher. The Marin Symphony also provides music in other settings around the county, including schools, community-based organizations, and retirement communities.
The Marin Symphony remains committed to its mission to enrich, educate, and transform lives through classical music.
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