Symphony Orchestra of India appoints Martyn Brabbins as Chief Conductor

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India] October 16: The Symphony Orchestra of India is delighted to announce the appointment of Martyn Brabbins as its Chief Conductor. His tenure with India’s first and only professional orchestra is set to begin on 1 January 2026. He will conduct four programmes each season at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai, one of Asia’s largest multi-venue arts and cultural centres, during the SOI’s February and August series. In addition, he will advise the NCPA on matters of artistic strategy, orchestra development, and the choice of guest conductors, soloists and repertoire. His arrival in post, timed to coincide with the orchestra’s twentieth anniversary, signals the SOI’s determination to build on its existing artistic qualities and accelerate its development. This will run concurrently with his Chief Conductor position of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, starting in Autumn 2025.

“It is a great joy and privilege for me to take on this role with the Symphony Orchestra of India,” comments Martyn Brabbins. “We’ve already built a strong relationship through the performances we’ve given together in Mumbai and on tour. They are always warm, welcoming and so positive, and we’ve had some great musical experiences together. There’s such a deep commitment from the management and the players. And it’s wonderful to see how this multinational ensemble is reaching out to local musicians and nurturing the next generation of native-born players. The energy of bringing the artform to a new audience in India is part of the project’s excitement and appeal. India holds such huge potential for developing audiences for symphonic music and the musicians to perform it. I am delighted to join the orchestra at such an exciting time in its history and look forward to being part of this wonderfully passionate and positive enterprise.”

Brabbins’ connection to the Symphony Orchestra of India arose from his friendship with the orchestra’s founding Music Director, Marat Bisengaliev. They met in 1990 when performing in the Kazakh violinist’s home city of Almaty and subsequently worked together after Bisengaliev moved to the UK. “Marat invited me to conduct the SOI in its early years, but the only available dates always clashed with other commitments. When I finally worked with them for the first time in 2016, we hit it off! We’ve worked together several times since, including for the orchestra’s first UK tour five years ago. It’s one of the most cosmopolitan groups of musicians I know, with players from so many nations and parts of the globe. That melting pot of talent, individual musicianship and ideas is very rich. It means that, from the conductor’s perspective, you have to find fresh ways of drawing all of its parts together while retaining the culture and identity of what’s already a very fine ensemble.”