ABOUT KRISTO KONDAKÇi
Conductor Kristo Kondakçi is a visionary musical leader and civic innovator praised by PBS, NPR, and The Boston Globe for setting a new standard in orchestral leadership and public impact.
Born in Tirana, Albania, Kondakçi’s artistic mission is shaped by his family’s escape from Enver Hoxha’s Communist regime. His grandfather, Beqir Omari, was imprisoned for performing Western music, and his great-uncle, a virtuoso musician and physician, was executed. This legacy of courage and creativity fuels his conviction that music has the power to inspire resilience, unite communities, and speak across cultures.
As the David and Janet McCue Music Director of the Kendall Square Orchestra (K²O), Kondakçi leads musicians drawn from more than 70 of Greater Boston’s leading science and technology institutions. Under his leadership, K²O has become known as Boston’s Symphony of Innovation, championing initiatives that merge artistic excellence with philanthropic action. At Boston’s Symphony Hall, the orchestra’s Symphony for Science concerts have raised significant support for healthcare causes through collaborations with figures such as Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart and Nobel Laureate Esther Duflo. In partnership with Pfizer and Next Step, he also directed the release of Come and Walk a Mile, an anthem for rare disease awareness that reached audiences worldwide.
Recent K²O seasons highlight Kondakçi’s distinctive approach to programming: pairing masterworks with urgent human themes. Concerts have included Elgar’s Cello Concerto and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 in a program of Perseverance and Gratitude, Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante alongside Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in Joy and Renewal, and the upcoming season opener The Wild and the Tame, featuring Gabriela Ortiz’s Kauyumari, Brahms’ Double Concerto, and Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique. On May 11, 2025, he will lead K²O’s next Symphony for Science at Symphony Hall, presented with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, exploring the theme Finding Home in Music and raising funds for Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.
Beyond Boston, Kondakçi has collaborated with orchestras across the United States and Europe, including the Portland Symphony, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, and Albanian National Orchestra, where his 2014 debut earned recognition as a cultural representative of the Albanian diaspora.
In 2017, he co-founded the Eureka Ensemble with cellist Alan Toda-Ambaras, a professional chamber orchestra that works with marginalized communities to address social issues through music. Eureka’s initiatives have engaged immigrant and refugee youth, individuals experiencing homelessness, and women in poverty, earning acclaim from PBS, NPR, and The Boston Globe. Its Rising Tides climate-awareness program, in partnership with the University of Massachusetts Boston, was highlighted at the 2022 Earthshot Prize ceremony. In 2018, he co-founded the Women’s Chorus at the Women’s Lunch Place in Boston with longtime mentor David McCue. Now in its seventh year, the chorus has provided more than 200 women, ages 17 to 82, with a safe and affirming space for musical expression—becoming an international model for music’s role in restoring dignity and hope.
During the COVID-19 crisis, Kondakçi co-launched Boston Hope Music with New England Conservatory and Massachusetts General Hospital, delivering therapeutic performances for patients and healthcare workers. This pioneering effort was spotlighted by NowThis News, reaching millions worldwide, and earned him Berklee’s Urban Service Award.
A sought-after speaker, he has presented at TEDxBoston and the League of American Orchestras, where he shares how orchestral principles can transform leadership. Through The Leading Tone, his leadership program with K²O, he engages executives from business, technology, and public policy to explore intentional communication, collaboration, and team performance through the lens of conducting. Organizations including PwC and Kinden Corporation have embraced this approach to advance their strategic goals.
Kondakçi holds degrees in conducting and composition from the New England Conservatory. He lives in Boston with his wife, Chloe, while continuing to design bold projects that expand the role of music in society. He also serves as an Assistant Professor at the Berklee College of Music, where he teaches conducting and mentors the next generation of musical leaders. Known for artistic rigor and interpretive authority, he galvanizes musicians to perform at their highest level while advancing the mission of the ensembles he leads.
LAST UPDATED AUGUST 2025. PLEASE DESTROY ALL PREVIOUSLY DATED MATERIALS. EDITS MUST BE APPROVED BEFORE USE.