Principal Conductor

Markus Poschner is the Principal Conductor of the Sinfonieorchester Basel, a position he has held since the 2025/26 season. His extensive experience in opera and symphonic music, coupled with his artistic curiosity and international recognition, will influence his work with the Basel orchestra.

Born in Munich in 1971, Poschner studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. He then worked as an assistant to renowned conductors, including Sir Roger Norrington and Sir Colin Davis. His first permanent positions were as principal conductor at the Komische Oper Berlin and general music director of the Bremer Philharmoniker from 2007 to 2017. He then became principal conductor of the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana in 2015 and the Bruckner Orchestra Linz in 2017.

Poschner won the International Classical Music Award (ICMA) with the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana in 2018 for his recording of Brahms's symphonies. In 2021, he received the German Record Critics' Award for his recordings with the Orchestre National de France of Maître Péronilla by Offenbach. In 2024, Poschner and the Bruckner Orchestra Linz received the ICMA Special Achievement Award for their cycle of all Bruckner symphonies, and Poschner also won the award for his work with the RSO Vienna.

In February 2023, the Sinfonieorchester Basel appointed Poschner as its new principal conductor, succeeding Ivor Bolton. The ensemble is looking forward to new artistic perspectives under his leadership, from major symphony concerts to opera productions, as the resident orchestra at the Stadtcasino Basel and the opera orchestra at the Theater Basel.

Poschner's guest conducting engagements around the world regularly bring him to renowned orchestras and opera houses, including the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, the Frankfurt Opera, and the Zurich Opera. His invitations to Bayreuth, such as opening the 2022 and 2023 seasons with Tristan und Isolde, are highlights of his Wagner career.

Poschner's appointment to the Sinfonieorchester Basel means artistic continuity and an expanded identity for the orchestra. His passion for the Romantic German repertoire and openness to surprising programs and projects promise new impulses. Together with the orchestra, Poschner will leave a lasting impact on Basel's musical landscape and beyond.