Czech conductor Petr Popelka will begin his tenure as Chief Conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (KORK) at the beginning of the 2020/2021 season. The orchestra offered him this honourable position after a very successful joint tour of Norway in September 2019. In addition, he will become the Principal Guest Conductor of the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava.
Currently Conductor Fellow of NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Petr Popelka is regularly invited by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and various Czech ensembles. So far, operatic performances have taken him to Den Norske OperaOslo, Semperoper Dresden and to Hungarian State Opera Budapest. Future engagements include Deutsche Radio Philharmonie and Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra or Bergen Philharmonic.
Petr Popelka acquired his music education both in his hometown of Prague as well as in Freiburg. Between 2010 and 2019 he held the position of deputy principal double bass.
Petr Popelka was awarded the Gstaad Menuhin Festival Academy’s Neeme Järvi Prize 2017. His new career path was particularly encouraged and nurtured by Vladimir Kiradjiev, and master classes with Peter Eötvös, Alan Gilbert, Jaap van Zweden and Johannes Schlaefli also had a formative influence on his development as a conductor.
Next to conducting, his work as a composer plays another important role within Petr Popelka’s artistic range.