Petr Popelka Named New Chief Conductor of the Vienna Symphony

The position has been open since Andrés Orozco-Estrada unexpectedly resigned in April 2022

The Wiener Symphoniker, in Austria, named Czech conductor and composer Petr Popelka as its new Chief Conductor. He will immediately become the orchestra's Chief Conductor Designate and will lead more than 20 performances in the 2023/24 season, before stepping into the Chief Conductor position in 2024/25 for an initial term of five years.

Popelka trained as a double bassist in his hometown of Prague and in Freiburg. Following his studies he was named deputy solo bassist with the Staatskapelle Dresden, where he played under Christian Thielemann. Popelka is presently Chief Conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and is also active as a composer.

The position in Vienna has been vacant since April of 2022 when Andrés Orozco-Estrada unexpectedly resigned. At the time, a statement from the Wiener Symphoniker indicated that Orozco-Estrada's decision came after he heard his contract with the orchestra would not be extended.

"I am very pleased about the outcome of the musicians’ vote," said Jan Nast, the Intendant of the Wiener Symphoniker. "Following Andrés Orozco-Estrada unexpected departure, it was important for the orchestra to take its time and understand very carefully how his successor could match the Wiener Symphoniker’s personality. As such, the selection was less about names than about the art and the possibilities to bring to life shared visions."

"The performance of Gustav Mahler’s First Symphony with Petr Popelka was memorable for many musicians – and, indeed, for me personally – suddenly we all felt that something unique was in the air. I am firmly convinced that we have found an exceptional artist in him, with whom we can further develop the distinctive spirit of the orchestra in the long term."

"Becoming Chief Conductor of the Wiener Symphoniker is a dream come true," Popelka said. "Even as a teenager, I regularly drove from Prague to Vienna with my parents to listen to the greatest orchestras in the world in this city. To me, the Wiener Symphoniker is the musical embodiment of Vienna, an orchestra that captures and evokes the spirit of the city, an ensemble with a great tradition but, above all, an orchestra that has always encapsulated a modern pioneering spirit – both in terms of repertoire and the role of an orchestra within society."

"When asked what I imagine my journey with the Wiener Symphoniker to be like, I think of my own little son; what kind of orchestra do we want to pass on to the next generation? Together, we have the opportunity to invigorate a modern orchestra that stands at the heart of the world."