Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Names New Music Director

German-Japanese conductor Jun Märkl will step into the role in September 2024

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) recently announced that German-Japanese conductor Jun Märkl will be its eighth Music Director. Märkl has been the orchestra's Artistic Advisor since 2021 and will step into the Music Director role at the opening of the 2024/25 season — for an initial term of five years.

A past student of Sergiu Celibidache, Leonard Bernstein, and Seiji Ozawa, among others, Jun Märkl has conducted orchestras such as the Munich Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Tonhalle Zürich, and the Oslo Philharmonic.

He has been chief conductor of the Orchestre National de Lyon and the MDR-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, among others. Märkl is currently Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan and Principal Guest Conductor of the Oregon Symphony. He was also recently named as the Chief Conductor of Residentie Orkest in the Hague.

"The ISO is thrilled to announce Jun Märkl as the orchestra’s next music director," said James Johnson, the CEO of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. "The ISO is deeply grateful to Maestro Märkl for his artistic leadership and unwavering commitment to the orchestra. We look forward to an exhilarating new era of musical collaboration and artistic excellence in the coming years under Maestro Märkl’s vision."

"The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra shines a sparkling light throughout the city of Indianapolis with every unforgettable performance," Märkl said. "Through our concerts that feature the incredibly talented ISO musicians, highly acclaimed soloists and guest conductors, the ISO’s Education and Community Engagement programs that serve music lovers of all ages, and so much more, the ISO is a positive force for good in our community, and I’m excited and honored to lead the charge."