Les Arts appoints Sir Mark Elder as the institution's musical director.

Les Arts

• His engagements will include two operas and two symphonic programs, which will expand to three starting in the 2026-2027 season.
• Sir Mark Elder is one of Britain's greatest conductors; his debut in 2022 marked a milestone for the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana.

Valencia (24.1.25). The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía announces that the prestigious British conductor Sir Mark Elder will assume the musical direction of the institution from September 1, 2025.

Recognized as one of the great maestros of his time, Sir Mark Elder will lead the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana (OCV) until the 2028-2029 Season as the culmination of a collaboration that, since its inception in 2022, has yielded the highest levels of excellence for the ensemble, as well as the undeniable applause of the Valencian public.

Sir Mark Elder will begin his tenure as music director at the start of Les Arts' twentieth season. In his first year, his engagements include two operas and two symphonic programs. From his second year onward, his relationship with Les Arts will include a third symphonic engagement with the OCV. His contract is for two years, with the option to extend for a further two years.

The artistic director of Les Arts, Jesús Iglesias Noriega, has highlighted that the addition of Sir Mark Elder comes at a time when the orchestra, after intense work in recent years, has a consolidated roster of 76 musicians that allows it to propose and tackle new challenges and artistic projects.

“Sir Mark Elder is one of the biggest names in the international music scene. His formidable career, immeasurable musical background, and impeccable professional discipline bode well for a period of excellence, growth, and success for the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana and for Les Arts as well,” he noted.

Sir Mark Elder

Sir Mark Elder was Music Director of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester from 2000 to 2024. He is currently its Conductor Emeritus. Since 2022, he has been Principal Guest Conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic. He previously held the positions of Music Director of the English National Opera (1979–1993) and of the Rochester Philharmonic, New York (1989–1994), as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He conducts some of the world's leading orchestras: the Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Orchestra of Paris, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Berlin and London Philharmonic Orchestras, and the Boston, Chicago, and London Symphony Orchestras. He is a Principal Artist with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, collaborates regularly with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and has conducted at the Proms for many years.

His presence is also a regular feature at major opera houses: Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, the Paris Opera, and the Glyndebourne Festival. He has also been a guest at the Bayreuth Festival (where he was the first English conductor to lead a new production), Chicago, Munich, Amsterdam, Zurich, Geneva, Berlin, and the Bregenz and Aix-en-Provence Festivals. Recent and upcoming engagements include Carmen in Paris; Benvenuto Cellini in Amsterdam; Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in San Francisco; Lohengrin , Peter Grimes , Aida , and La forza del destino at Covent Garden; Le prophète at the Aix-en-Provence Festival; and Samson et Dalila at the Metropolitan Opera.

Sir Mark Elder has recorded with the Hallé Orchestra ( The Dream of Gerontius and the complete Ring cycle ), the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Concertgebouw Orchestra ( Lohengrin ), the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Age of Enlightenment Orchestra, the Royal Opera House, and the English National Opera, with a repertoire ranging from Verdi, Strauss, and Wagner to contemporary music. He was also artistic director of the Opera Rara label, for which he recorded several bel canto works. At Les Arts, he has conducted the OCV in works such as the Symphony of Psalms , Ein Heldenleben, Shostakovich's Symphony No. 4 , and Mahler's Symphony No. 6 .