The Bavarian State Opera has announced that Czech conductor Petr Popelka will become Bavarian General Music Director (Bayerischer Generalmusikdirektor) from the 2029/30 season, succeeding Vladimir Jurowski at the helm of both the opera house and the Bavarian State Orchestra.
The appointment places Popelka in one of the most prestigious conducting positions in Europe, continuing a lineage that includes figures such as Hermann Levi, Richard Strauss, Bruno Walter and, more recently, Kirill Petrenko.
In a statement released by the company, Popelka said: “From the very first moment with the Bavarian State Orchestra, it was clear to me that this was a place where a special artistic relationship could grow.”
The conductor first appeared at the Munich house during the 2025 Opera Festival and returns in 2026 to conduct Dvořák’s Rusalka. The new appointment formalises a relationship that has developed rapidly over the past two seasons.
Still only in his early forties, Popelka has emerged as one of the most sought-after conductors of his generation. A former double bassist, he currently serves as chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and music director of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra. His rise has been marked by a combination of symphonic and operatic engagements across Europe, with growing recognition for his interpretations of Czech repertoire as well as the German and Austro-German traditions.
The announcement also provides long-term clarity for the Bavarian State Opera following the tenure of Jurowski, who took up the post in 2021. Popelka’s first season as General Music Director will begin in autumn 2029, when he assumes overall musical responsibility for both the opera company and its orchestra.
For Munich, the appointment signals a generational transition while maintaining a strong connection to the Central European conducting tradition that has long shaped one of the world’s leading opera houses.
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