A former music director and conductor is being awarded hundreds of thousands in damages from the National Philharmonic after a hearing found the organization was responsible for breach of contract and wrongful termination.

Piotr Gajewski founded in 1984 what would become the National Philharmonic, a staple of orchestral performances with the Music Center at the Strathmore in North Bethesda, Maryland, since 2004.

After 40 years at the helm, Gajewski and the National Philharmonic “parted ways” in 2024, when he was informed he would no longer serve as music director. Last week, an arbitrator ruled the reasons for Gajewski’s dismissal, as noted in his termination letter, were “lacking merit both factually and legally.”

Arbitrator Jerry Goldstein also found that Gajewski could only be termin

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