Martyn Brabbins appointed new Chief Conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra

British conductor Martyn Brabbins will be the new chief conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra. Mr Brabbins will begin his tenure in the 2025-26 season.

Internationally recognised Martyn Brabbins comes from a position as Music Director of English National Opera, and conducts orchestras such as the San Francisco Symphony, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony and BBC Symphony Orchestra. He also has ample experience in several international opera houses including La Scala in Milan, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich and at the opera houses of Lyon, Amsterdam and Antwerp.

- "I am truly delighted to be able to appoint Martyn Brabbins as the new Chief Conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra for three seasons," says Erik Mikael Karlsson, CEO and Artistic Director of Malmö Live Konserthus. “Martyn is a hugely experienced conductor with an international reputation and has been a leading figure in British musical life for decades. He has a clear artistic profile, a modern and inclusive leadership that fits like a glove with the concert hall I want to create – a dynamic, international concert hall with strong local roots that embraces musical breadth, teamwork and artistic quality at the highest level.”

Mr Brabbins has performed with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra several times over the years, most recently when he was asked to replace Sir Andrew Davis at short notice following his passing in April. That concert left a strong impression on both the symphony orchestra and the audience in the concert hall at Malmö Live. For several years now, Mr Brabbins has been a much-loved part of the BBC Proms and, as a tribute to the conductor 14 contemporary composers were invited to write a movement each of a new birthday anthem for him in 2019.

- “It is a great honour to be asked to be the next Chief Conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra. My experiences with the orchestra in recent years have been inspiring and musically fulfilling. There is a dedication across the whole organisation to achieving the highest musical results, and their wonderful home, Malmö Live, is a concert hall of the finest quality. I look forward with enormous excitement to making music again with the musicians, and together building on the 100 year tradition of the orchestra, as we forge stronger links with the City of Malmö. I believe that music is fundamental to life and to culture, and as such, becomes more important with each passing day.”

- "I would like to conclude by thanking my colleagues in the orchestra, orchestra and programme departments for a good and very constructive collaboration in the process that led to the presentation of Martyn Brabbins as our new Chief Conductor," says Erik Mikael Karlsson.