His appointment as permanent guest conductor seals years of cooperation with the Residentie Orkest. German Jun Märkl will be in The Hague more often from the summer of 2021. "This role gives more depth to our relationship. 

Jun Märkl appears modest and is neatly dressed in black slacks and shirt. So you wouldn't immediately expect him to prefer wild camping in his spare time and to have trained as a ranger in Africa. 'I like to discover other countries and cultures,' he says. 'When I travel, I like to have my own place where I can cook for myself. Most of the year I spend in hotel rooms, so whenever I get the chance, I head out in my camper. When I am a guest at Residentie Orkest , I am usually in the dunes near Kijkduin. Then I always try to discover something new in the area. For example, I was recently in Middelburg in Zeeland, a beautiful town!' 

Varied conductor team
Märkl and the orchestra focus particularly on the German symphonic and operatic repertoire and the French Impressionists. In February, he will conduct Brahms First Symphony, among other works. 'I am glad that as permanent guest conductor I can see the orchestra more often. That gives me a chance to plan more long-term.' One of his goals is to make the orchestra more style-conscious. 'In this I get help from fellow guest conductor Richard Egarr - who takes care of the old and new repertoire - and of course from chief conductor Anja Bihlmaier. It is enormously pleasant to be part of such a diverse team of conductors; together we are building the future of the orchestra.' 

Another of Märkl's wishes is to make more recordings with the orchestra. "I would like to put the orchestra more on the map internationally. The conductor has a huge discography and more than 50 albums to his name. 'This season we are recording unknown ballet works by Saint-Saëns. Repertoire that has never been recorded before, so should anyone soon be looking for this music, they will automatically come to us.' 

Outsider
He grew up in a village under the smoke of Cologne. The son of a German concertmaster and Japanese concert pianist, Märkl was surrounded by music at an early age. First he played piano and violin, later switching to conducting. "Music was my outlet. I didn't have it easy at school; because of my ethnic background, I felt like an outsider. In retrospect, I learned a lot from that period. Because I am so aware of my origins, I can easily relate to other cultures.' 

Diplomatic approach
'I love coming here,' emphasizes Märkl, who has been a regular guest at the Residentie Orkest for many years. 'The musicians are very flexible and adventurous, they are open to both the familiar and unfamiliar repertoire. They clearly state what they want and I can appreciate that directness.' How different it is in Asia, where Märkl also visits often. 'In countries like Taiwan and Japan you have to be very diplomatic, you can't just say everything there. But these different worlds are what make my job so much fun.' 

The next time he is in The Hague, Märkl wants to come again with the camper. 'Perhaps I can park it somewhere in the city now that we are in Amare . Oh well, I can always find a spot, on the Spui if necessary.'