“The music was broadcasting (the colour) like a prism in direct sunlight! All of the score’s sweeping romance, elegant grandeur, and intimate melancholy was masterfully brought to life by conductor Aleksandar Markovic.”
ROGER DOWNEY, SEATTLE OPERA
Aleksandar Marković is the Principal Guest Conductor of Sinfonia Varsovia.
Aleksandar Marković brings music to life with a rare combination of artistic sensitivity, leadership, and profound musical understanding. Known for his expressive interpretations and dynamic presence on the podium, he captivates audiences and musicians alike, shaping each concert into an unforgettable experience. With stylistic assurance, he moves from classically idiomatic approaches of early music, through compelling interpretations of Romantic masterpieces, to precise, thoughtful readings of contemporary composers. Aleksandar Marković confidently bridges tradition and innovation, inspiring his musicians to surpass themselves without losing sight of the essence of the score.
In autumn 2025, Marković will be appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the State Philharmonic Košice, marking an intensification of his collaboration with the renowned Slovak ensemble. At the same time, he will once again assume the role of Chief Conductor of the Vojvodina Symphony Orchestrain Serbia, opening the season with guest performances at the NOMUS Festival in Novi Sad and the BEMUS Festival in Belgrade.
Aleksandar is Principal Guest Conductor of Sinfonia Varsovia. His recordings with this orchestra include Pierre Wissmer’s violin concertos with Oleg Kaskiv (Claves), as well as Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Nathanaël Gouin (Mirare). Also released were Szymanowski’s and Nielsen’s violin concertos with Anna Agafia (Claves).
Live, Marković has led Sinfonia Varsovia in major concerts across Europe. Highlights include performances at the Festival La Folle Journée in Nantes, Penderecki’s Symphony No. 2 in Athens, a collaboration with the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra at the Ravenna Festival, and a concert in Girona, Spain. In Warsaw, he conducted Sinfonia Varsovia’s anniversary concerts with works by Mahler, Chopin, Schumann, and Penderecki. At the Polish National Theatre, he led the world premiere of Paweł Mykietyn’s Ash. Other engagements included the 19th Lutosławski Festival Chain and the Sinfonia Varsovia Summer Festival, where the repertoire ranged from Mozart, Schubert, and Debussy to Honegger, Philip Glass, Szymanowski, Lutosławski, and the premiere of Mikołaj Majkusiak’s Bbrass Concerto.
A long-standing and fruitful collaboration connects him with the Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra, with which he has recorded numerous CDs. Of particular note is the world premiere recording of Blagoje Bersa’s complete opera Der Eisenhammer (Oganj), to be released in autumn 2025. With the orchestra, he toured Austria and Germany, appeared at prestigious festivals along the Croatian coast, and was awarded the Judita Prize at the 2013 Split Summer Festival. For over 15 years, he has been a regular guest in the Master Cycle at the Lisinski Hall in Zagreb.
As Chief Conductor of the Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra during its residency within Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture, Marković conducted, among others, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben, and Verdi’s Messa da Requiem.
Aleksandar Marković made his U.S. debut at Seattle Opera with Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. Other opera projects included new productions of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex and Apollon musagète, as well as Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos at the Slovenian National Theatre.
As Music Director of Opera North (UK), he conducted Janáček’s Jenůfa and Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier, in addition to numerous symphonic programs with the Opera North Orchestra.
During his tenure as Music Director of the Brno Philharmonic, he shaped the orchestra’s profile with landmark performances of Czech masters such as Dvořák, Suk, Martinů, and Janáček, alongside the great symphonic works of Bruckner, Strauss, Mahler, and Scriabin. Tours with the orchestra led to appearances at the Wiener Konzerthaus, Salzburg Festival Hall, MÜPA Budapest, Brucknerhaus Linz, Queen Elisabeth Hall Antwerp, Reduta Bratislava, the Passau European Weeks, and an extensive tour of Japan. In autumn 2014, the orchestra opened the 200th anniversary of the Musikverein für Steiermark in Graz with an all-Wagner program at the Stefaniensaal.
As Chief Conductor of the Tyrolean State Theatre Innsbruck, Marković directed acclaimed productions of Salome, Der fliegende Holländer, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci, Le nozze di Figaro, Roméo et Juliette, La traviata, Nabucco, Norma, and Swan Lake, complemented by inventive symphonic programs. Other engagements included new productions of La forza del destino at the National Theatre Belgrade, the National Theatre Prague, and the Salzburg State Theatre. For Wagner’s bicentenary in 2013, he conducted a new production of Der fliegende Holländer in Ljubljana and a concert performance of Rienzi at the Philharmonie am Gasteig in Munich.
Guest appearances have taken him to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, National Orchestra of Belgium, Munich Radio Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony, Odense Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Malmö Symphony, Qatar Philharmonic, Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Slovenian Philharmonic. With the Slovak Philharmonic, he recorded Sinful Women for Supraphon.
Further highlights include debuts with the State Philharmonic Košice, the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, the Teatro Verdi Trieste, and the philharmonic orchestras in Bremen, Lübeck, and Mannheim.
Additional guest engagements have included the Spanish National Radio and Television Orchestra, Vienna Symphony, Dresden Philharmonic, Stuttgart Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Halle, Prague Symphony FOK, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, DSO Berlin, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Concertverein Wien, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Lithuanian National Orchestra, St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra, State Orchestra Braunschweig, Belgrade Philharmonic, Zagreb Philharmonic, Sarajevo Philharmonic, and the Kremerata Baltica.
Marković’s repertoire spans a wide range from the Classical and Romantic eras to the present. His particular affinity for 20th- and 21st-century music is evident in his interpretations of works by Hartmann, Schiske, István, Rózsa, Ligeti, Lutosławski, Penderecki, Dobrowolsky, Regamey, Glass, D’Ase, Pintscher, Larcher, Tüür, Yusupov, Salonen, and MacMillan. For Sergei Polunin’s dance company, he recorded Kasyan Goleizovsky’s ballet Scriabiniana and Lorenz Dangel’s Satori.
Born in Belgrade, Aleksandar Marković studied conducting with Leopold Hager at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. He attended masterclasses at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, where he was awarded the Diploma d’onore. He was a scholarship holder of the Herbert von Karajan Foundation Berlin and won First Prize at the 7th Grzegorz Fitelberg International Conducting Competition in Katowice, Poland.
Aleksandar is also a passionate keynote speaker and lecturer on leadership, music, and motivation. He is deeply committed to supporting young musicians and has served as jury member and lecturer at the Summa Cum Laude Youth Festival and as jury member at the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition in Vienna. In 2015, he conducted the gala concert of the Graz University of the Arts Symphony Orchestra. In 2025, he led a conducting masterclass at the University of Music and Theatre Hamburg. Another masterclass is scheduled for 2027 at the Music Academy Zagreb.
