Joseph Bastian

French-Swiss conductor Joseph Bastian is celebrated for his “total precision, and calm and masterful manner”, and renowned for the remarkable and tangible sense of partnership he creates with orchestral musicians, and his distinct and highly celebrated skill for building an orchestra’s character from within.

Beginning September 2023, Bastian holds the position of Chief Conductor & Artistic Director of the Munich Symphony Orchestra (Münchner Symphoniker), Germany. In this role, he is particularly passionate about developing the orchestra’s place as the true orchestra of the city and of the people of Munich, devising and implementing ambitious plans across a multitude of fronts: artistic, international, and social.

Since September 2022, Bastian serves as Principal Conductor of the Orchestre Dijon Bourgogne, France, where he is tasked with building the orchestra of the Opéra de Dijon in its first forays as a symphonic orchestra in its own right. He devises and undertakes major inter-disciplinary projects (for instance, examining the links between music and neuroscience), and explores a diverse range of repertoire, programming multiple world premieres alongside major symphonic statements.

Also since 2022, Bastian serves as Principal Conductor of the Asian Youth Orchestra, leading and inspiring this premiere ensemble on major annual tours throughout Europe and Asia. In Asia, the AYO regularly tours through China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, the Philippines, and Taiwan. The orchestra also has an increasing presence in Europe, with regular performances at such major Italian festivals as Bergamo and Ravello, main-stage concerts in Munich, and appearances at the Young Euro Classics series at the Konzerthaus Berlin.

As a guest conductor recent and forthcoming highlights include projects with the Bamberger Symphoniker, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Dresdner Philharmonie, DRP Saarbrücken-Kaiserslautern, and the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, as well as with the radio orchestras of Berlin (DSO & RSB), Frankfurt (hr-Sinfonieorchester), Köln (WDR), and Stuttgart (SWR). In France he works regulary with Orchestre National d’Île de France, and the Orchestre National du Capitôle de Toulouse. Furthermore he conducted Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, Orquestra Sinfònica do Estado de São Paulo and Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana.

Bastian holds a particular passion for opera, with recent productions including Hänsel & Gretel (2023) and Luisa Miller (2025) at the Luzerner Theater. His debut in the field was at the Zürich Opera Studio (2022), conducting Haydn’s Il mondo della luna at the Theater Winterthur, Switzerland, to widespread critical acclaim. In 2021, he led a highly successful run of Die Bernauerin at the Carl-Orff Festival, Germany, and has also enjoyed work with the Kammeroper München. Bastian is always keen to further his knowledge and skills in the art of conducting, and to that end he recently worked closely with Vladimir Jurowski at the Bayerisches Staatsoper on their production of Penderecki’s Die Teufel von Loudun. 

Bastian burst into the international spotlight in February 2016, when he stepped in at the last moment to conduct the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (‘BRSO’) in three subscription concerts – widely heralded by the press as a “sensational debut”. Shortly thereafter, he was awarded the Neeme Järvi Prize at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival (2016), and Eugene Jochum Prize for Young Conductors by the BRSO (2019).

Born in France to a French-Swiss family, Bastian began his musical journey by studying the cello, trombone, and composition. Following his studies he held the position of Principal Bass Trombonist with the BRSO, before focusing fully on his conducting career. He worked as an Assistant Conductor to the late Mariss Jansons as well as to Daniel Harding (BR Choir, Symphony Orchestra, and Academy), and Vladimir Jurowski (London Philharmonic Orchestra) and received masterclasses from Bernard Haitink, Jorma Panula, and David Zinman.