British conductor Karel Mark Chichon thrills international audiences with his temperament, passion and musicianship. In recognition of his services to music, Chichon was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in June 2012. In 2016, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music.
Born in 1971 in London to Gibraltarian parents, Chichon studied at the Royal Academy of Music and was assistant to conductors Giuseppe Sinopoli and Valery Gergiev. His previous positions include Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (2009-2012) and Principal Conductor of the Graz Symphony Orchestra (2006-2009).
He has been Chief Conductor of the German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra since 2011, where his work has been highly acclaimed by the public and critics alike. Proof of the special relationship he has created with this orchestra can be seen in the success of the first CDs released of Antonín Dvořák’s complete orchestral works for the label SWRmusic, the recording of which he plans to finish over the coming years. The first CD has been rated by the critics as "the best version currently available".
Karel Mark Chichon regularly conducts at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Vienna State Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, the Teatro Real Madrid and the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. He is also regularly invited to conduct orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, the London Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Nederlands Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra and the Russian National Orchestra. He regularly appears at renowned venues such as the Musikverein in Vienna, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, the Philharmonic Hall of the Gasteig in Munich, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, the Old Opera House in Frankfurt, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the National Auditorium of Music in Madrid and Seoul Arts Center in South Korea.
He made his critically acclaimed début at the Metropolitan Opera in New York at the beginning of 2016 where he conducted a run of thirteen performances. One of these performances was broadcast live in HD via satellite in over 2000 cinemas in 66 countries, much to the delight of millions of people worldwide. He will be returning to the Met in 2019. From 2006 to 2010, Karel Mark Chichon was Music Director of the “Christmas in Vienna” concerts which take place every year at the Konzerthaus in Vienna and are broadcast all over the world for millions to enjoy.
Karel Mark Chichon regularly works as a recording artist for Deutsche Grammophon, having recently recorded 2 CDs.
05/16
