From the 2025/26 season, the German/Japanese conductor Jun Märkl will be the new chief conductor of The Hague’s Residentie Orkest, succeeding Anja Bihlmaier. He has been a frequent visitor to the orchestra and principal guest conductor since the summer of 2021, his appointment seals the years of excellent collaboration. He will serve as chief conductor for at least four seasons, and meanwhile the long-standing relationship between the Residentie Orkest and principal guest conductor Richard Egarr will also be extended until 2029.
The team will be completed by the young British conductor Chloe Rooke in the newly created position of emerging artist in residence for three seasons from 2024. Known for her exceptional talent and her infectious enthusiasm towards both orchestra and audience, Chloe Rooke (who lives in The Hague) will be involved in all four pillars of the orchestra’s activities: symphonic, education, talent development and social/outreach.
Sven Arne Tepl, CEO and artistic director of the Residentie Orkest: ”We are excited that one of the most experienced conductors on the international circuit is joining the Residentie Orkest as chief conductor. We look forward to continuing and further intensifying our longstanding relationship with Jun and Richard, to the start of our closer collaboration with Chloe and to continuing the great work with Anja for this season and next.”
Jun Märkl: “After many years of inspiring music-making with the wonderful musicians of Residentie Orkest, I am excited to extend and deepen our relationship. I’m looking forward to working closely with Sven and his team, Richard Egarr and Chloe Rooke to further deepen the broad profile as
dedicated, passionate and high quality orchestra in and outside The Hague.”
Current Chief Conductor Anja Bihlmaier will remain in post until the Summer of 2025 and will return thereafter as a guest conductor. Having already achieved numerous very good results in the orchestra’s first few seasons in their new venue Amare, she looks forward to a celebratory final season with the orchestra in 24/25, with details to be announced in the Spring.
Anja Bihlmaier: “It has been an honour and a pleasure to have worked with the Residentie Orkest, with all the trust and joy we have shared in making music. I look forward to our upcoming projects together during my tenure, and indeed beyond.”
As one of the most sought-after conductors of her generation, Bihlmaier continues to maintain a busy guest conducting schedule, both operatic and symphonic, including debuts this season with the London Philharmonic, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Glyndebourne Opera, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse and Sydney Symphony.
Jun Märkl studied conducting with Sergiu Celibidache, Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa, among others. He has conducted orchestras such as the Munich Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Tonhalle Zurich and the Oslo Philharmonic. He is also a renowned opera conductor and has been a frequent guest at renowned institutions such as the state operas
of Vienna and Berlin and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He was chief conductor of, among others, the Orchester National de Lyon and the MDR-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig. He is currently Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, Artistic Advisor of the Indianapolis Symphony and Principal Guest Conductor of the Oregon Symphony. In 2022, Jun Märkl was nominated for the Opus Klassik award in the ‘best conductor’ ategory. He has recorded countless (award-winning) Cd’s over the years, the latest album with Residentie Orkest with orchestral music by Saint-Saens has been Cd of the week with Dutch Classical Radio.
Chloe Rooke is a former student of the National Master Orchestral Conducting programme (Conservatories of Amsterdam and The Hague in collaboration with the Dutch symphony orchestras). 2023/24 she was Assistant Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic (whom she recently conducted t the Concertgebouw) and this Autumn has also conducted the London
Sinfonietta, London Mozart Players and Orchester National de Lille.
