Krivine, who has led the LPO as a guest conductor 23 times, was the unanimous choice of the orchestra's search committee, according to a press release. "With Emmanuel Krivine, we have not only an excellent musician, but a music director whose reputation is firmly established in all of Europe as well as Asia and the United States," said Jean Hoss, the chairman of the Henri Pensis Foundation, which oversees the LPO. "It is obvious that he will be able to raise the orchestra's profile."

First trained as a violinist, Krivine made his professional debut as a soloist while a teenager; he shifted his focus to conducting after meeting the conductor Karl B‹hm. From 1976 to 1983, he was the permanent guest conductor of the Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, and he served as music director of l'Orchestre National de Lyon from 1987 to 2000. He has guest conducted the London Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and other ensembles, and has appeared at the Mostly Mozart Festival.

Krivine is also the founder and principal conductor of La Chambre Philharmonique.