David Afkham has been announced as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Orquestra y Coro Nacional de España (Spanish National Orchestra and Chorus) from September 2019. This position will build on the success of his tenure as Principal Conductor of the orchestra since 2014, which has included critically acclaimed performances of Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder, Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, Bruckner Symphony No. 9, Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, Shostakovich No. 4, Brahms’ Requiem, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, Haydn’s Die Schöpfung, as well as world premieres and semi-staged projects with Wagner’s Die fliegende Holländer, Strauss’ Elektra, Bach’s St. Mathew Passion and Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle, and soloists including Mitsuko Uchida, Maria João Pires, Frank-Peter Zimmermann, Leonidas Kavakos, Isabelle Faust and Bryn Terfel, among many others.

The Orquestra y Coro Nacional de España (OCNE) commented:

“…With this new chapter, David Afkham will strengthen his artistic and musical relationship with the OCNE, which has yielded such brilliant results over the past few years, with unanimous acclaim from both audience and critics. [David Afkham] will be responsible, together with the Technical Director of the OCNE, for defining the artistic project of the orchestra and choir in the coming seasons, fostering its organisational reforms, and maximising the reach of its artistic activities through the community. A new impetus to the orchestra’s chamber music and socio-educational projects will also be a key objective…”

David Afkham commented:

“I am delighted, and honoured, to begin my new role as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Orquesta y Coro Nacional de España. After five years of rewarding collaboration with this wonderful group of musicians as its Principal Conductor, this is the beginning of a new chapter and I am looking forward to many more beautiful musical moments, and to our continued growth together”.

Afkham’s guest conducting activities continue to flourish, with future highlights including return engagements with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Accademia Nazionale de Santa Cecilia, debut projects with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Europe. As an opera conductor he is looking forward to projects at Stuttgart Opera (Der fliegende Holländer), Theater an der Wien (Rusalka), the Liceu Opera and the Teatro Real.

Read the orchestra’s announcement here.

David Afkham debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra

David Afkham: Eröffnungskonzert beim Klarafestival