Jun Märkl is a German-Japanese conductor born in Munich in 1959, whose father was a German concertmaster and mother a Japanese concert pianist. He studied with Sergiu Celibidache, Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa, and has built a career spanning the major opera houses and symphony orchestras of Europe, North America and Asia. Since summer 2025 he serves as chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest in The Hague, while also holding the music directorship of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan. He is particularly noted for his command of the Germanic symphonic tradition and his idiomatic readings of the French impressionists - above all Debussy, Ravel and Messiaen - as well as his advocacy for Japanese composers such as Toshio Hosokawa.
Märkl took up the post of chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest in The Hague, succeeding Anja Bihlmaier, with an initial contract of four seasons.
In the 2025-26 season Märkl makes his debut with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and records with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Indianapolis Symphony launched a free concert series called 'Into the Music' featuring Märkl in on-stage discussions followed by full-orchestra performances.
Märkl officially became the eighth music director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, beginning with the 2024-25 season under a five-year contract through 2028-29.
Märkl was nominated for the Opus Klassik award in the 'best conductor' category.
