He is the latest in a distinguished line that has included Broadway composer Leonard Bernstein along with Zubin Mehta, Pierre Boulez, Kurt Masur and Gustav Mahler.

According to The New York Times, maestro van Zweden comes to the Philharmonic from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, and will succeed Alan Gilbert, who is scheduled to surrender his baton in 2017. Van Zweden will be "music director designate" in 2017-18, and will begin his formal five-year contract with the 2018-19 season.

He was born in Amsterdam in 1960. Before he became a conductor his principal instrument was violin, which he studied at the Juilliard School. He has made several guest conducting appearances with the Philharmonic in recent years, garnering enthusiastic reviews.

In addition to the classic orchestral repertoire, van Zweden told the Times he intends to play "more contemporary music" at the Philharmonic.

The Times reported that, in addition to his conducting responsibilities, van Zweden will be "the leading artistic voice" for the Philharmonic, which is in the midst of a fundraising campaign to renovate its home, David Geffen Hall, at New York's Lincoln Center. Construction on the hall is scheduled to begin in 2019.