Biography —

Aleksandar Markovic brings music to life with a rare blend of artistry, leadership, and deep musical understanding. Known for his expressive interpretations and dynamic presence on the podium, he captivates audiences and musicians alike, shaping each performance into an unforgettable experience. From idiomatic understanding of early classical repertoire over sweeping, powerful renderings of romantic masterpieces to precise interpretations of contemporary composers, Aleksandar Marković masterfully bridges tradition and innovation, inspiring musicians to reach new heights while honoring the essence of every score.

Aleksandar Markovic is the Principal Guest Conductor of Sinfonia Varsovia. His recent recordings with the orchestra include Pierre Wissmer’s Violin Concertos with Oleg Kaskiv for Claves and Rachmaninov’s Paganini Variations with Nathanael Gouin for Mirare. He also recorded Szymanowski and Nielsen’s Violin Concertos with Anna Agafia, released by Claves.

Beyond the studio, Markovic has led Sinfonia Varsovia in major performances across Europe. Recent highlights include concerts at La Folle Journée Festival in Nantes, Penderecki‘s Symphony No. 2 in Athens, a collaboration with the Youth Orchestra Luigi Cherubini at the Ravenna Festival as well as appearance in Girona, Spain. In Warsaw, Aleksandar conducted Sinfonia Varsovia’s Anniversary Concerts, performing works of Mahler, Chopin, Schumann, and Penderecki. He premiered Pawel Mykietyn’s Ash at the Polish National Theater. Aleksandar also appeared at 19th Lutoslawski Chain Festival and led performances at the Sinfonia Varsovia Summer Festival. The repertoire has ranged from Mozart, Schubert and Debussy to Honegger, Philip Glass, Szymanowski and Lutoslawski, as well as the world premiere of Mikolaj Majkusiak‘s Brass Concerto.

His long, fruitful affiliation with Symphony Orchestra of Croatian Radio and Television has resulted in numerous recording projects, most notably the premiere recording of integral version of Blagoje Bersa‘s opera Der Eisenhammer (Oganj), which will be released in autumn 2025. Aleksandar led the orchestra on tours in Austria and Germany, and performed at major festivals along Croatian coast, winning the prize Judita at Split Summer Festival 2013. For the last 15 years he has been an annual guest of orchestra‘s Master‘s Cycle at the Lisinski Hall.

Aleksandar Markovic was Chief Conductor of Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra for the length of orchestra’s residency at Novi Sad– European Capital of Culture. Highlights of his tenure were i.a. Mahler’s Symphony Nr. 2, Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben and Verdi’s Messa da Requiem. He appeared at the NOMUS festival in Novi Sad and Belgrade Music Festival BEMUS.

Aleksandar Marković made his US debut at Seattle Opera with Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. He conducted new productions of Stravinsky’s Oedipus rex and Apollon musagète and Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos at the Slovenian National Theatre.

As Music Director of Opera North, he conducted Janacek’s Jenufa and Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier, and led performances of varied symphonic repertoire with the Orchestra of Opera North.

During his tenure as Music Director of the Brno Philharmonic, Aleksandar conducted Czech masterpieces of Smetana, Dvorak, Suk, Martinu and Janáček, as well as most of the large-scale symphonic music of Bruckner, Strauss, Mahler, and Scriabin. In addition to their annual season, he took the orchestra to the Vienna Konzerthaus, Grosses Festspielhaus Salzburg, the Palace of Arts Budapest, Brucknerhaus Linz, the Queen Elisabeth Hall Antwerp, Reduta Hall Bratislava, Passau’s European Weeks festival, and on an extensive tour of Japan. In the autumn of 2014, they performed an all-Wagner program in Stefaniensaal, Graz, for the opening of the Musikverein für Steiermark’s 200th anniversary celebrations.

As Chief Conductor of the Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck, he conducted highly acclaimed productions of Salome, Der fliegende Holländer, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Cavalleria Rusticana/I Pagliacci, Le nozze di Figaro, Romeo et Juliette, La Traviata, Nabucco, Norma, and Swan Lake, as well as many innovative symphonic programs. He was in charge of the new production of La forza del Destino at the National Theatre Belgrade, and appeared at the National Theatre Prague and the Landestheater Salzburg. He celebrated the 2013 “Wagner Year” with a new production of Der fliegende Holländer at the Slovenian National Theatre Ljubljana, and a concert performance of Rienzi in Munich’s Philharmonie am Gasteig.

Orchestral appearances have included: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, RTE Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, National Orchestra of Belgium, Munich Radio Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Odense Symphony Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Malmö Symphony, the Qatar Philharmonic, Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, Symphony Orchestra of Czech Radio and Television, and the Slovenian Philharmonic. With Slovak Philharmonic he recorded the CD Sinful Women for Czech national label Supraphon. He has also enjoyed successful debuts with the State Philharmonic Košice, Wuppertal Opera and Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Symphony Orchestra of Teatro Verdi Trieste, Bremen Philharmonic, Lübeck Philharmonic, and Mannheim Chamber Orchestra.

Other guest conducting appearances include: the Spanish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, Stuttgart Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Halle, Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, DSO Berlin, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Vienna Chamber Orchestra and Concertverein, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of St. Gallen, State Orchestra Braunschweig, Belgrade Philharmonic, Zagreb Philharmonic, Sarajevo Philharmonic, and Kremerata Baltica.

Aleksandar Marković commands a wide range of symphonic and operatic repertoire, reaching from Classic and Romantic to contemporary styles. His keen interest in 20th-century and avant-garde music has led to performances of works by the likes of Hartmann, Schiske, Istvan, Rozsa, Ligeti, Lutoslawski, Penderecki, Dobrowolsky, Regamey, Glass, D’Ase, Pintscher, Larcher, Tüür, Yusupov, Salonen, and MacMillan. He recorded Kasyan Goleizovsky’s ballet Scriabiniana and Lorenz Dangel’s ballet Satori for Sergey Polunin’s dance company.

Born in Belgrade, and a graduate of Leopold Hager’s conducting class at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien, Aleksandar Markovic attended masterclasses at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, where he was awarded a Diploma d’onore. He gained a scholarship from the Herbert von Karajan Foundation Berlin and won First Prize at the 7th Grzegorz Fitelberg International Conducting Competition in Katowice, Poland.

Aleksandar is a passionate key note speaker, lecturing about leadership in music. He actively supports forging the next generation of musicians and has dedicated time to various projects in this respect. Notably, he has worked with the symphony orchestra of the University of Music in Graz, and served as a jury member and lecturer of the Summa Cum Laude Youth Music Festival in Vienna. In 2025 he will hold a Master Class in conducting at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg.