Kristo Kondakçi
David and Janet McCue Music Director
Kristo Kondakçi has led K²O since 2018, building it into a 96-member ensemble drawn from more than 70 of Greater Boston’s leading science and technology institutions and one of the most artistically and civically ambitious orchestral platforms of its kind.
His March 2026 performance of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony at Sanders Theatre drew a Boston Musical Intelligencer review calling it “an inspired and inspiring performance,” praising his “thoughtful” phrasing and his ability to “let us hear everything Mahler intended, which is no small feat.”
Kondakçi’s conviction that orchestral music carries genuine public stakes is shaped by his family’s history. Born in Tirana, Albania, he came to the United States as a political refugee with his family from Enver Hoxha’s Communist regime. His grandfather, Beqir Omari, was imprisoned in Albania for performing Western music; his great-uncle, a virtuoso musician and physician, was executed; his mother and countless family members were sent to internment camps. This legacy informs his belief that music has the power to inspire resilience, unite communities, and speak across cultures. His 2014 debut with the Albanian National Orchestra led to recognition as a cultural representative of the Albanian diaspora.
Beyond K²O, Kondakçi co-founded the Eureka Ensemble in 2017 with cellist Alan Toda-Ambaras, a professional chamber orchestra serving immigrant, refugee, and homeless communities. In 2018, he co-founded the Women’s Chorus for women experiencing homelessness in partnership with the Women’s Lunch Place in Boston, now in its seventh year and recognized with Berklee’s Urban Service Award. During the COVID-19 crisis, he co-launched Boston Hope Music with New England Conservatory and Massachusetts General Hospital, delivering therapeutic performances for patients and frontline workers.
Kondakçi serves as Assistant Professor of Conducting at Berklee College of Music and as Non-Resident Tutor in Music at Harvard University, and as cover conductor for the Portland Symphony Orchestra. A featured speaker at TEDxBoston and the League of American Orchestras, he leads The Leading Tone, K²O’s leadership development program for executives. He holds Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees from the New England Conservatory, where he serves on the President’s Council. He lives in Boston with his wife, Chloe.
Learn more about maestro Kondakçi by visiting his website: www.kristokondakci.com