The appointment of Jun Märkl as the new music director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra marks the culmination of the maestro’s nearly 25-year collaboration with the ISO.
Concertgoers had their first chance to get to know Märkl in his new role in the ISO performance of The Music of Strauss. The concert included “Also Sprach Zarathustra” — music made famous by Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey.”Â
Märkl has conducted music in almost every major city of the western world, but has also served as the music director of the Philharmonic Orchestra Malaysia and of the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, which speaks to his cultural reach and the power of music. Märkl also worked as principal conductor at the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado and he teaches as guest professor at the Kunitachi College of Music Tokyo.
As part of his work with the ISO, Märkl will continue with programming committed to education and community engagement, including the Teddy Bear Series, which are free concerts that typically take place at Indianapolis libraries and introduce preschool and kindergarten students to the orchestra. He will also continue Discovery Concerts, designed for children in grades 3-6, and Words on Music, which provides behind-the-curtain perspectives from musicians, conductors, guest artists and community hosts during concerts.
Märkl’s five-year contract with the ISO extends through the 2028–29 season. He will conduct nine weeks of concerts in Indianapolis each season, beginning with six weeks during the 2024–25 season, in addition to other duties.
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