Known for his impeccable technique and compelling artistry, David Afkham has received worldwide acclaim and is one of the most sought-after conductors of his generation. Afkham is the Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España, a position he has held since September 2019. Prior to this role, Afkham enjoyed a highly successful tenure as the orchestra’s Principal Conductor since 2014.
Afkham’s impressive career has been marked by a series of critically acclaimed performances and collaborations with some of the world’s leading orchestras. He has appeared with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Münchner Philharmoniker, Staatskapelle Berlin, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, SWR Symphonieorchester, Wiener Symphoniker, Orchestre National de France, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, as well as with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Staatskapelle Dresden, Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, and Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
With regular appearances in North America, Afkham has previously led The Cleveland Orchestra, Boston
Symphony Orchestra in Tanglewood, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra in New York.
Recent successes at the opera pit, include performances of Richard Strauss’s Arabella at the Semperoper Dresden and a new production of the work at the Teatro Real, Madrid. Afkham has also conducted productions of Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hänsel & Gretel at the Frankfurt Opera, Richard Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer at the Staatsoper Stuttgart and Alberto Ginastera’s Bomarzo at Madrid’s Teatro Real. He also conducted Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, later reviving the production for performances in the UK and Ireland for Glyndebourne on Tour. Furthermore, he conducted semi-staged projects with the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España, including Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer, Tristan und Islolde, Strauss’ Elektra and Salome and Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle.
Highlights of the 2024/25 season include a return to the Semperoper Dresden to conduct a production of Fidelio, debuts with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Bruckner Orchester Linz with concerts at Brucknerhaus Linz and Musikverein Wien. He will also return to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Staatsorchester Stuttgart and the Orchestre National de Lyon. Afkham’s symphonic projects with the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España this season will encompass a diverse repertoire, including works such as Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 8, Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, and Schumann’s Scenes from Goethe’s Faust.
Born in Freiburg, Germany, Afkham began piano and violin lessons at an early age. He went on to study piano, music theory and conducting at the Freiburg Music University, before continuing his studies at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar. Afkham was the first recipient of the Bernard Haitink Fund for Young Talent and has assisted Maestro Haitink on several major projects, including complete symphonic cycles with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Concertgebouw Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra. From 2009-12 he was Assistant Conductor of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester.
Afkham won first prize at the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition in London in 2008 and was the inaugural recipient of the Nestlé and Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award in 2010.
September 2024
Please note: Biographies are based on information provided to the CSO by the artists or their representatives. More current information may be available on websites of the artists or their management.
