ION MARIN
CONDUCTOR
CLASSICAL
Manager: Jean-Jacques Cesbron
Territory: North America
ABOUT
A fascinating personality of the international music scene, Ion Marin is one of few conductors to work on the highest level in both the symphonic and operatic domains. He is a regular guest at the world’s major opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper and Opéra national de Paris, and has conducted virtually all the great European orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Staatskapelle Dresden, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and St. Petersburg Philharmonic. He also appears regularly in Japan, where he conducts the NHK Symphony Orchestra and the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. The last season brought a special opportunity for Maestro Marin to join forces with the highly renowned jazz pianist Chick Corea, on a concerto tour to include destinations as varied as Shanghai Symphony Hall and the Royal Opera House of Muscat. Since 2014/15, he holds the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the Hamburger Symphoniker, resident orchestra of the now iconic Elbphilharmonie.
Maestro Marin’s discography of over 40 titles, released on Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, EMI, Sony and Philips, has earned him three Grammy nominations, the Diapason d'Or and the German Recording Critics’ Award. Recent releases include the Waldbühne concert featuring Renee Fleming and the Berliner Philharmoniker, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with David Garrett and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Bruch's Violin Concertos with Guy Braunstein and the Bamberger Symphoniker. In 2012 he received the ECHO Klassik award in the Bestseller category.
““Maestro Ion Marin conducted the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
bringing out all the gorgeous tunes of this opera (La Rondine)
to the surface and with a more brilliant sound.” ”
Ion Marin is recognized for his creative, engaging and innovative programs, featuring a wide range of symphonic and vocal repertoire. Recent appearances focused on the music by Gustav Mahler saw concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic and Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin. Soloists he regularly appears with include Martha Argerich, Yo-Yo Ma, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Maxim Vengerov, Gidon Kremer, Hélène Grimaud, Placido Domingo, Angela Gheorghiu and a number of other leading instrumentalists and singers. He has also worked with luminaries such as Isaac Stern, Mstislav Rostropovich and Alexis Weissenberg.
Born in Romania, Ion Marin studied composition, piano and conducting at the George Enescu Music Academy and at Mozarteum Salzburg. He also studied philosophy and the history of religion. In 1986 he defected from Romania’s dictatorship and started a new life in Vienna, where he became Resident Conductor of the Wiener Staatsoper during Claudio Abbado’s tenure (1987-1991) and worked with some of the leading singers of the day, including Luciano Pavarotti, Agnes Baltsa, Hermann Prey, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Giuseppe Taddei, Edita Gruberova, Gundula Janowitz, Mirella Freni and José Carreras. In Vienna, he also benefited from the guidance of Herbert von Karajan and Carlos Kleiber.
In 2012, Maestro Marin initiated the Cantus Mundi and the Symphonia Mundi projects in Romania, dedicated to the education and social integration of the country’s disadvantaged children through music. He lives with his wife and son in Lugano, Switzerland.
Updated July 2020 – please discard earlier versions.