Biography
Conductor, soloist, chamber musician and pedagogue, Christoph Poppen has made a name for himself in diverse roles in the international musical world. Since the 2023/2024 season he is Music Director of Hong Kong Sinfonietta. His 2025/2026 season with the orchestra is highlighted by collaborations with such illustrious artists as Nicolas Altstaedt, Martin Helmchen, Denis Kozhukhin and Alexander Gadjiev.
As Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s Principal Guest Conductor between 2015-2023, Poppen has presented to the Hong Kong audience a rich repertoire ranging from Austro-German masterpieces to contemporary works. In the current season, he will premiere three new works commissioned by the orchestra. Away from Hong Kong, he continues his highly successful collaborations with Cologne Chamber Orchestra as Principal Conductor and Israel Chamber Orchestra as Principal Guest Conductor, while being the Artistic Director of the Marvão International Music Festival. Highlights of the 2025/2026 season include engagements with the Korean National Symphony Orchestra in Seoul, the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival, and a conducting appearance with the China National Symphony Orchestra in Beijing.
His discography is further enriched by the continuation of the recorded cycle of the complete Mozart Masses with Cologne Chamber Orchestra for Naxos. The latest release (Vol. 4, February 2025) has been highly praised by the international press.
Artistic
Leadership
From 1995-2006, Poppen was Artistic Director of Munich Chamber Orchestra, establishing the ensemble’s new profile in a short period of time. His distinctive programmes, often contrasting classical and contemporary styles with numerous commissioned works, were highly successful. In 2006, he was appointed Music Director of Radio Symphony Orchestra Saarbrücken and from 2007-2011, he was Music Director of the newly formed Deutsche Radio Philharmonie. He has appeared with orchestras such as Vienna Symphony, Staatskapelle Dresden, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Detroit Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Bamberg Symphony, Camerata Salzburg, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Residentie Orkest, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Indianapolis Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic and Singapore Symphony Orchestra. As an opera conductor, he has enjoyed acclaimed collaborations with Staatsoper Stuttgart, Oper Frankfurt, Opera Köln, Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, Aalto-Musiktheater in Essen and the RuhrTriennale.
Marvão
International Music Festival
Founded by Poppen in 2014, the Marvão International Music Festival has grown to become a highly successful and award-winning musical event featuring soloists such as Jörg Widmann, Augustin Hadelich, Javier Perianes and Clara-Jumi Kang. He also founded the Academy for Music, Arts and Science in Marvão in 2019, and was the Artistic Director of the Classic Revolution Festival in Seoul, South Korea between 2020-2022
Professorship
& beyond
As a prize-winning violinist, Poppen co-founded the Cherubini Quartet in 1978. He was appointed Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at Hochschule für Musik Detmold, and later at Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin, where he was President from 1996 to 2000. From 2001 to 2005, he was Artistic Director of the renowned ARD International Music Competition. From 2003 to 2023, he has been Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich. Since the 2021/2022 academic year, he has been Chair Professor of Violin at the prestigious Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid.
Milestones
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First Violinist
Cherubini Quartett
1995-2006
Artistic Director
Münchener Kammerorchester
1995-2006
Music Director
Radio Symphony Orchestra Saarbrücken, Deutsche Radiophilharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern
2019
Founder and Artistic Director
Marvão International Music Festival
2019/20
Princ. Guest Conductor
Hong Kong Sinfonietta
2019
Founder
International Academy for Music, Arts & Science in Marvão/Portugal
2019/20
Principal Conductor
Kölner Kammerorchester
2022/23
Principal Guest Conductor
Israel Chamber
2023/24
Music Director
HongKong Sinfonietta
CHRISTOPH POPPEN
CONDUCTOR