Martijn Dendievel has been named the Chief conductor of the Flanders Symphony Orchestra. He will begin his tenure starting January 2026.

Dendievel is a winner of the German Conductors’ Prize and has had guest appearances with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, Copenhagen Philharmonic, and the Tonkünstler Orchestra Vienna, among others. He is a regular guest conductor with orchestras such as the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale Bologna, the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln and the Sinfonia Varsovia. He was recently named Chief Conductor of the Hofer Symphoniker.

In a statement, the orchestra said, “We are particularly proud to be able to call Martijn our chief conductor from 2026. His course with our orchestra is special: from young listener to assistant conductor over to associate conductor to chief conductor. It reads like a fairy tale!”

Flanders Symphony Orchestra CEO Jos Roeden added, “Martijn symbolizes what the Flanders Symphony Orchestra wants to stand for: proud of its origins, approachable, ambitious, locally anchored but with an international reach.”

The selection committee unanimously chose Dendievel from an international field of conductors to succeed Kristiina Poska. In his new position, he will continue the artistic growth achieved under Poska and expand the orchestra’s role both in Flanders and internationally with a wide range of projects.