Karel Mark Chichon

Karel Mark Chichon
Born	Karel Mark Chichon 30 April 1971 London, United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Occupation	Orchestra conductor
Spouse	Elīna Garanča
Children	Catherine Louise Chichon, Cristina Sophie Chichon
Awards	Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

Karel Mark Chichon OBE FRAM (born 30 April 1971) is a British orchestra conductor.

Biography

Born in London, Chichon studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London and at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna under Leopold Hager. Karel Mark Chichon is Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria ^[1] since May 2017, a position recently renewed until the 2026–2027 season.

Karel Mark Chichon is also Artistic Director of the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society, ^{[2] [3]}

Career

From 2006 to 2009, Chichon was Chief Conductor of the Graz Symphony Orchestra. He was Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra between 2009 and 2012. Chichon became Chief Conductor of the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern (DRP) in September 2011. ^[4] In March 2013, his initial contract was extended until the 2016–2017 season. ^[5] In March 2015, Chichon and the orchestra jointly announced that his tenure would conclude at the end of the 2016–2017 season. ^[6]

In the United States, Chichon made his Metropolitan Opera debut in February 2016 with performances of Madama Butterfly , ^[7] including one cinema broadcast. In May 2017, he was appointed Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, effective from the 2017–2018 season., ^[8] a position that has been renewed three times until the 2026–2027 season. ^{[8] [9]}

Discography

His commercial recordings include two albums for Deutsche Grammophon, Meditation ^[10] and Habanera, both featuring his wife Elīna Garanča. ^[11] In 2014, he recorded Dvořák’s Symphony No. 1 with the DRP for the Hänssler Classic label, the first in a projected cycle of all nine Dvořák symphonies. ^[12]

Chichon was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to music and culture in Gibraltar. ^[13] In March 2016, he was named a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music. ^[14]

Personal life

Chichon and Elīna Garanča have two daughters, Catherine Louise Chichon and Cristina Sophie Chichon, who are grandchildren of Harry Chichon and Leonor Chichon. ^{[15] [16]}

References

1. "Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria". ofgrancanaria.com.
2. "The Gibraltar Philharmonic Society has been created" (Press release). Gibraltar Philharmonic Society. 16 November 1998. Archived from the original on 16 January 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
3. Gibraltar Philharmonic Society Artistic Director: Karel Mark Chichon. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
4. "Karel Mark Chichon". Opéra national de Paris. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
5. "Karel Mark Chichon extends his contract as Chief Conductor of the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie until 2017" (Press release). SWR. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2016.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
6. "Karel Mark Chichon announces he will not extend his contract after six years as Chief Conductor of the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie" (Press release). SWR. 14 April 2015. Archived from the original on 15 January 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
7. Zachary Woolfe (21 February 2016). "Review: 'Madama Butterfly' showcases Ana María Martínez". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
8. "Karel Mark Chichon renews contract in Gran Canaria". Pizzicato (in French). Retrieved 25 May 2018.
9. "Karel Mark Chichon renews with Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria until the 2026–2027 season". Platea Magazine.
10. Adrian Edwards (October 2014). "Elīna Garanča: Meditation". Gramophone. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
11. Rupert Christiansen (26 September 2012). "Elina Garanca: We mezzos get to have such fun". Telegraph. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
12. Hodgson, Antony (July 2015). "Review: Karel Mark Chichon conducts Dvořák’s Complete Symphonies: 1 – Symphony No.1 (The Bells of Zlonice) [Hänssler"] Archived 18 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine . Classical Source
13. "No. 60173". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 June 2012. p. 23.
14. "2016 Honours are announced" (Press release). Royal Academy of Music. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
15. "Elina Garanča: a singer is like a sportsman". Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT). 20 May 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
16. "Extended biography". Karel Mark Chichon – Conductor. Retrieved 5 July 2019.

"La Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria renueva la titularidad de Karel Mark Chichon hasta la temporada 26/27". plateamagazine.com. 20 March 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.

External links

Official website of Karel Mark Chichon

Askonas Holt agency page on Karel Mark Chichon Archived 4 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine

Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern German-language page on Chichon

Cultural offices
Preceded by Olari Elts	Music Director, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra 2009–2012	Succeeded by Andris Poga
Preceded by Christoph Poppen	Chief Conductor, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern 2011–2017	Succeeded by Pietari Inkinen
Preceded by Pedro Halffter	Chief Conductor, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria 2017–present	Succeeded by incumbent