BIOGRAPHY
Andris Poga is a Latvian conductor. He was the Music Director of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) from 2013 until 2021 and continues to collaborate with the LNSO as its Artistic Advisor. He first conducted the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra (SSO) in April 2018, and in June 2019, the orchestra announced his appointment as its next Chief Conductor. He concluded his Stavanger tenure in June 2026.
Highlights of recent years have included concerts with the leading orchestras of Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and Scandinavia. After successful initial collaborations, he has become a regular guest conductor at the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester Hamburg, WDR Sinfonieorchester Cologne, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, and many others. He has also conducted the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Gewandhausorchester, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony, and the Dallas Symphony.
The 2026/27 season includes subscription concert series with both the SSO and LNSO, as well as returns to the WDR Sinfonieorchester, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Orchestre National de France, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Osaka Philharmonic and the Shanghai Symphony, among others. Andris will also make his debut with other notable orchestras in Europe and the United States.
In 2010, Andris Poga was the First Prize winner of the Evgeny Svetlanov International Conducting Competition, which thrust him onto the international scene. He became an assistant to Paavo Järvi at the Orchestre de Paris and has also served as an assistant conductor for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Andris graduated from the conducting department of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. He also studied philosophy at the University of Latvia and conducting at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts.
