Petr Popelka voted chief conductor of Vienna Symphony

The Vienna Symphony (Wiener Symphoniker) has announced the appointment of Czech conductor Petr Popelka to the role of chief conductor. Effective from the 2023-24 season, Popelka will work with the orchestra as chief conductor designate, before taking up his position for the 2024-25 season.

Popelka’s appointment was revealed after he received an overwhelming majority of votes from the orchestra’s 128 members. Popelka will hold the role for an initial period of five years. Before this, he will join the orchestra as chief conductor designate, for a new production of Weinberger's Schwanda the Bagpiper, as well as concerts at its Vienna home and two European tours.

Jan Nast, who has been intendant of the Vienna Symphony since 2019, said: ‘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.’ He added: ‘Working with Petr Popelka is inspiring, fruitful, always dialogic and characterised by an unwavering shared creative enthusiasm… 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.’

Born in Prague in 1986, Popelka first trained as a double bassist in Prague and Freiburg, playing as deputy solo bassist with the Sächsischen Staatskapelle Dresden. Now active as both conductor and composer, Popelka is chief conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and holds the dual role of chief conductor and artistic director of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Popelka said: ‘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… In my conducting engagements with the Wiener Symphoniker to date, I have always felt the profound passion of the musicians, the possibility of immersing ourselves collectively in the music in the moment, fuelled by a burning dedication for the cause and for the music! Together, we have the opportunity to invigorate a modern orchestra that stands at the heart of the world.’