British conductor Leo Hussain has been appointed the next Chief Conductor of the Munich Radio Orchestra, beginning with the 2027–28 season. He succeeds Croatian conductor Ivan Repušić and will initially serve a three-year term. The appointment makes Hussain the tenth chief conductor in the orchestra’s history, as the ensemble approaches its 75th anniversary in April 2027.
Born in 1978, Hussain studied at the University of Cambridge and the Royal Academy of Music in London. He has served as Music Director of the Opéra de Rouen and the Salzburg Landestheater, and is currently Chief Conductor of the George Enescu Philharmonic in Bucharest until the summer of 2026. His career has included engagements across Europe, the United States and Asia, as well as appearances at major opera houses and concert venues. Among his previous engagements in Munich are performances of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Richard Strauss’s Capriccio at the Bavarian State Opera.
The Munich Radio Orchestra cited Hussain’s wide-ranging repertoire, interest in lesser-known works and commitment to developing new concert formats among the reasons for his appointment. His musical interests extend from Mozart and the Second Viennese School to twentieth- and twenty-first-century repertoire, alongside a strong focus on rediscoveries beyond the standard canon.
Hussain is already familiar to the orchestra through several guest appearances. Recent collaborations have included a recording project devoted to works by Fazıl Say, a performance of Charles Koechlin’s Les heures persanes and a family concert programme devoted to Maurice Ravel. In the 2026–27 season he is scheduled to conduct another operatic rediscovery, Victorin Joncières’ Lancelot, in collaboration with the Palazzetto Bru Zane – Centre de musique romantique française.
Founded in 1952 and based in Munich, the Munich Radio Orchestra is one of the ensembles of the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation (BR). The orchestra is particularly known for its work in opera, concert repertoire and recordings, and regularly collaborates with BR-Klassik and international partners.
The appointment marks the latest step in Hussain’s growing international profile and signals the orchestra’s intention to continue combining core repertoire with lesser-known works and educational initiatives in the years ahead.
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