To inaugurate his tenure in Vienna, he will lead a performance of Arnold Schönberg’s monumental “Gurre-Lieder” at the Vienna Musikverein, commemorating the composer’s 150th anniversary, the very venue where its world premiere took place. Subsequently, the season will unfold with tours across Europe and Asia, along with numerous engagements at the Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein. Under the name “Primavera da Vienna”, Popelka and the Wiener Symphoniker will launch a new Easter Festival in Triest from 2025.
Further highlights of the season include his debuts with the Tonhalleorchester Zürich, Orchestre de Paris and NHK Symphony Orchestra, as well as returns to the Staatskapelle Berlin, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Gewandhausorchester, Bamberg Symphony, Danish National Symphony and the symphony orchestras of hr, SWR and WDR. He will also lead two prestigious TV concerts: the Czech Philharmonic’s Velvet Revolution concert as well as the Nobel Prize Concert with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. As this season’s curator of the Czech Chamber Music Society, he will also appear as composer, double bass player and pianist. This December, he conducts Nobel Prize Concert with Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.
A passionate opera conductor, Popelka is set to wrap up his three-season “Tristan und Isolde” project with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducting the third act of Wagner’s music drama. Following this, he will take the helm for the complete rendition of the masterpiece at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.
Previous debuts have taken him to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra sinfonica nazionale della RAI, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin among others. He has also made guest appearances at the Zurich Opera House (Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”), the Semperoper Dresden (Shostakovich’s “Nose”), the Theater an der Wien (Weinberger’s “Schwanda”) and the Oslo Opera (Strauss’ “Elektra”).
During the 2019/2020 season, Popelka embarked on his conducting career as the inaugural Conductor Fellow of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra. He swiftly assumed the role of Chief Conductor with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra in Oslo from 2020 to 2023. Popelka, who received his musical training in his hometown Prague and in Freiburg, is also an active composer. He served as the deputy principal double bassist of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden from 2010 to 2019.
2024-25
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.
