Markus Poschner has been appointed the eighth Music Director of the Utah Symphony in its 84-year history.

Poschner will assume the role of Music Director Designate immediately and will take on full duties as Music Director during the 2027-28 season.

In a statement, the conductor said, “The opportunity to serve as the next Music Director of the Utah Symphony—to make music with the orchestra’s exceptionally skilled musicians and engage with a community that is so welcoming and so appreciative of the arts—is a true honor. My first performance with this orchestra was a very personal, intense experience. I had conducted Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 many times, but with the Utah Symphony, the passion, energy, and bond of trust were unique. The style of the orchestra’s musicianship resonated with me. I could feel, immediately, a chemistry and a sense of familiarity, easy communication, and partnership—a knowledge that together we could build moments that would be felt deeply by our audiences.”

Poschner made his U.S. conducting debut with the Utah Symphony in December 2022  and was invited for a return engagement in November 2023.

Throughout his career, Poschner has conducted many of the leading orchestras and opera houses including the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Staatskapelle Berlin, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Bamberg Symphony, Dresden Philharmonic, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Symphony, Berlin State Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Oper Frankfurt, Vienna State Opera, and Zürich Opera.

In addition to his new position at the Utah Symphony, Poschner is Chief Conductor of Bruckner Orchestra Linz and Orchestra della Svizzera italiana. He was recently named Chief Conductor of the Basel Symphony Orchestra beginning in fall 2025.