Meet conductor - Arjan Tien

Dutch conductor Arjan Tien is widely recognised as one of the most dynamic conductors of his generation. Musicians and critics alike appreciate his fine sense of style, attention to detail and contagious energy; qualities that make him equally respected in both performing and academic circles. 

After a successful relationship of 25 years, Arjan Tien was recently named Principal Conductor of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra as of 2026!

In 2025 he was also appointed Associate Professor to the Stellenbosch University, underlining his ambition to develop and support the next generation of conductors. His work as Professor at the Conservatories of Amsterdam and Maastricht, along with him being the Artistic Supervisor of the South African Conductor’s Competition illustrate this commitment, along with being a sought after teacher for international master classes in cities such as Amsterdam, Cape Town, Bucharest and Copenhagen. His dedication to nurturing young talent is also expressed through his recurring cooperation with the Netherlands Student Orchestra and the VU (Free University) Orchestra – Amsterdam, of which he is the principal conductor since 2021. Later this year, he will conduct Mahler’s ninth symphony with the combined conservatory orchestras of Aachen, Maastricht and Liège.

As Chief conductor of the Magogo Chamber Orchestra from 2006-2012, he was responsible for a new approach to presenting concerts; his innovative programming featured over sixty world premieres in a pioneering and refreshing presentation and new stage settings. He also held the post of Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy, one of the world’s leading orchestras in that field from 2017-2024. With this orchestra he made a series of albums of rarely recorded works by classical composers for Channel Classics to worldwide critical acclaim. One rarity was Gershwin himself playing his own Rhapsody in Blue by means of a pianola roll, rendered on a modern concert grand, accompanied in the composer’s original orchestration.

Arjan is a regular guest with the North Netherlands Orchestra, Wermland Opera – Karlstad, WDR Funkhausorchester – Cologne and the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. He also appeared with many other international distinguished orchestras such as the Residentie Orchestra, The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Kyiv Symphony, Belgrade Philharmonic, Royal Bangkok Symphony, Antalya Symphony and opera companies Opera Zuid, Dutch Touring Opera, Gauteng Opera (Johannesburg) among others.

©2025