Markus Stenz
Sabine Frank
Considered one of the leading conductors of our time, in 2024/25 Markus Stenz returns to two of his long standing partners, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, and also to Detroit Symphony and NCPA Orchestra in Beijing amongst many others. Opera productions lead him to Hangzhou where he conducts Siegfried and to Maggio Musicale di Firenze for a new production of Henze’s Der junge Lord. Stenz’s long relationship with the Teatro La Fenice in Venice bears new fruit in a new production of Kurt Weill’s Der Protagonist.
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 at Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. He was General Music Director of the City of Cologne and Gürzenich-Kapellmeister for eleven years, conducting Mozart’a Don Giovanni, Wagner’s Ring cycle, Lohengrin, Tannhäuser and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, as well as Janáček’s Jenůfa and Katya Kábanová and Eötvös’ Love and other Demons.
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Stenz made his opera debut in 1988 at Teatro La Fenice in Venice and, following various highly successful concert weeks with the orchestra, amongst them a new production of Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer in 2022/23. Upcoming projects include Ariadne auf Naxos and Lohengrin.
In 2018 Stenz conducted Schreker’s Die Gezeichneten at Bayerische Staatsoper Munich. The year also saw the world première of Kurtág’s 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 the work’s French première at Opéra National de Paris.
Recent symphonic highlights include his debut with the Orchestra dell’Academia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, multiple appearances with New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and regular visits to three orchestras where he previously held positions: Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and Gürzenich-Orchester Köln. With the latter, he received the Best Concert Programme of the Season award and initiated a number of youth and educational projects such as ‘Experiment Klassik’, ‘3. Akt’ and the live recording programme ‘GO live’.
His extensive discography includes many prize-winning recordings including the Gürzenich-Orchestra Köln’s complete cycle of Gustav Mahler’s symphonies with Symphony No.5 receiving the German Record Critics’ Award; Strauss’ Don Quixote and Till Eulenspiegel both received unanimous critical acclaim, followed by an equally celebrated recording of Schönberg’s Gurrelieder released in 2015, receiving the Choral Award at the 2016 Gramophone Awards.
Markus Stenz studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne with Volker Wangenheim and at Tanglewood with Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa. He has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester and the Silberne Stimmgabel (Silver Tuning Fork) of the state of North Rhein/Westphalia.
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