Karel Mark Chichon

Karel Mark Chichon OBE is the Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, a post he has held since the 2017/18 season. He has guest conducted widely across Europe both in the concert halls and opera houses, and previous titled positions include Chief Conductor of the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken (2011-2017), Chief Conductor & Artistic Director of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (2009-2012) and Chief Conductor of the Graz Symphony Orchestra (2006-2009). He is a regular Deutsche Grammophon recording artist, having recorded numerous CDs and DVDs for the renowned record label. 
In Gran Canaria, where his contract has been renewed until 2025, critics and public alike have credited him with transforming the orchestra, through undertaking several acclaimed recordings, as well as attracting the world’s finest conductors and soloists. During his tenure as Chief Conductor of the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, he received praise for his profound interpretation of a wide repertoire and transformative music-making. He also received unanimous critical success for his cycle of the orchestral works of Dvořák with Hänssler Classic, with critics saying 'Chichon scores significantly over several esteemed rivals' and praising the first release as 'the finest version available'. His disc of music by Prokofiev, Stravinsky and de Falla inspired Fanfare Magazine to describe Chichon as 'commanding, electrifying, utterly individual, with his German Radio Philharmonic playing as those possessed'.  
Chichon has conducted the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin,  Wiener Symphoniker, NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre National de Belgique and Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI amongst other orchestras and in venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie, Musikverein Vienna, Konzerthaus Vienna, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Royal Festival Hall London, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées Paris, Munich Philharmonie, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Alter Oper Frankfurt, Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Auditorio Nacional de Musica Madrid and Seoul Arts Center South Korea. 
In 2016, Chichon made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, conducting Madama Butterfly, which included a live broadcast in 2,000 cinemas across 66 countries throughout the world, and he has since returned to conduct La Traviata. Chichon has also conducted at Wiener Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bayerisches Staatsoper Munich, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Teatro Real Madrid and the Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona.
Chichon was born in London and is of Gibraltarian heritage.  He studied organ at London’s Royal Academy of Music and conducting at the Hochschule für Musik, Vienna.  In 2016, Chichon was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in recognition of his achievements within the profession.