Markus Stenz

Markus Stenz is a German conductor with a long track record leading major opera houses and orchestras across Europe and North America. He is known for programming that pairs core Romantic repertoire with 20th century works, and for performances that bring out inner orchestral detail without losing forward momentum. Listeners can expect a clearly shaped, well paced evening.

This program moves from a sparkling curtain raiser to a lyrical showcase to a large scale orchestral drama. Berlioz's Le carnaval romain opens with a wistful oboe-like melody before breaking into a fast, rhythmically sharp dance, and Stenz's performances of this kind of overture tend to favor brisk tempos and crisp articulation between orchestral sections. The Sibelius Violin Concerto gives the soloist long, searching melodic lines over a dark orchestral backdrop, and a conductor experienced in this repertoire will balance the orchestra carefully so the violin's tone always carries through. Stravinsky's Petrushka, a ballet score depicting a puppet show, is built from abrupt shifts in color and meter, requiring precise ensemble coordination, which is generally a strength for conductors with substantial opera pit experience, where split-second timing between sections is routine.