Markus Stenz has held several high-profile positions including Principal Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Principal Guest of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and most recently Conductor-In-Residence of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. He was General Music Director of the City of Cologne and Gürzenich-Kapellmeister for 11 years, conducting Mozart Don Giovanni, Wagner’s Ring cycle, Lohengrin, Tannhäuser and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, as well as Janáček Jenůfa and Katya Kábanová and Eötvös’s Love and other Demons.
He made his opera debut in 1988 at Teatro La Fenice in Venice and, following various highly successful concert weeks with the Orchestra, last season he conducted a new production of Wagner Der fliegende Holländer and will return in the next two seasons for Ariadne auf Naxos and Lohengrin.
In 2018 Markus conducted Schreker Die Gezeichneten at the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich and 2018 also saw the world première of Kurtág Fin de partie at Teatro alla Scala Milan where, in the same season, he conducted Strauss Elektra. This was followed by performances of the Kurtág for Dutch National Opera and its French première at Opéra National de Paris.
In 2023-24 Markus returns to Dutch National Opera to conduct Mahagonny, travels to Hangzhou in China for Die Walkure and conducts a special performance of Fin de partie in Kurtag’s hometown of Budapest before touring for performances in Hamburg and Cologne. He will return to Orchestre National de Lyon and, following a very successful debut with the CBSO with Mahler Symphony No. 2 in 2022, he returns for Bruckner Symphony No 7. In Italy he conducts both Orchestra della Toscana and Fondazione Haydn di Bolzano, and further afield will return to New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and make his debut with Naples Philharmonic Orchestra. In Germany he will conduct programmes with the MDR Sinfonieorchester, the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker and the Staatskapelle Halle among others.
Recent symphonic highlights include his debut with the Orchestra dell’Academia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, multiple appearances with the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and regular visits to three orchestras where he previously held positions: Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra; Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln. Further, he conducted the RSO Vienna, the Dresdner Philharmonie and the Staatskapelle Weimar.
While with the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln Markus received the prize for ‘The Best Concert Programme of the 2003-04 Season’ as well as initiating a number of youth and educational projects such as ‘Experiment Klassik’, ‘3. Akt’ and the concert live-recording project ‘GO live’. His extensive discography includes many prize-winning recordings including the Gürzenich Orchestra’s complete cycle of Season 2023/24 Please use only the latest biography. Changes may only be made after consultation with freitag artists.
