Junping Qian is one of the most distinctive Chinese conductors of his generation, combining musical insight and stylistic versatility with a proven capacity for artistic leadership. His career spans Europe, Asia and North America, encompassing symphonic concerts, opera and the development of ambitious orchestral projects. He is Principal Guest Conductor of the Iași “Moldova” Philharmonic and the Satu Mare “Dinu Lipatti” Philharmonic, where his tenure extends to 2028, and served as Artistic Director of Chamber Philharmonia ZJCM in Hangzhou during the 2025/26 season.
Qian has conducted the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Royal Scottish National and Minnesota orchestras, as well as the Orchestre de Paris, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Kammerorchester Basel and Mozarteumorchester Salzburg. Recent engagements have included the Copenhagen Phil, Odense Symphony Orchestra and Ulster Orchestra. In China, his collaborations encompass the China National Symphony, Shanghai Symphony, China NCPA Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony, Shenzhen Symphony and Chengdu Symphony orchestras, alongside the Shanghai Philharmonic, Hangzhou Philharmonic, Ningbo Symphony and Shanghai Opera House Orchestra. His 2026/27 debuts include the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra.
Qian brings particular authority and expressive depth to late Romantic symphonic repertoire, with a strong affinity for its expansive musical architecture and dramatic intensity. Wagner’s music occupies a special place among his artistic interests. His work in the core symphonic repertoire includes the concluding concerts of the China NCPA Orchestra’s Brahms symphony cycle, a project whose other conductors were Daniele Gatti, Myung-whun Chung and Lü Jia. He has also recorded symphonic programmes with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra for BBC radio. In Classical and early Romantic repertoire, he brings expertise in historically informed performance practice, developed through extensive, detailed study with Sir Roger Norrington. This work informs his approach to articulation, phrasing, orchestral balance and stylistic character.
Qian’s tenure as Artistic Director of Chamber Philharmonia ZJCM demonstrated his ability to translate artistic ambition into musical and organisational achievement. Working within a more limited budget than anticipated, he devised and delivered a season distinguished by depth of musical thought, stylistic breadth and high performance standards. Alongside responsibility for programming, guest-artist invitations and the orchestra’s artistic development, he led the ensemble on three tours across China, which together generated a financial surplus. These results brought together imaginative artistic planning, disciplined use of resources and effective leadership. His Romanian appointments likewise reflect sustained artistic relationships: his collaboration with the Iași Philharmonic began with a tour marking the centenary of Romania’s unification in 2018 and led to his appointment as Principal Guest Conductor in 2026.
Earlier appointments provided extensive experience within major European orchestras. Qian served as Assistant Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra from 2018 to 2020, alongside a visiting teaching appointment at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. In the 2022/23 season, he was one of the rotating Assistant Conductors of the Orchestre de Paris. These roles complemented the development of his own guest-conducting career and deepened his experience of orchestral preparation and collaboration.
Opera forms another strand of Qian’s work. He was Assistant Conductor for the 2018 premiere of Enjott Schneider’s Marco Polo at Guangzhou Opera House, working with conductor Muhai Tang, director Kasper Holten and the Macau Orchestra. He subsequently returned to conduct the opera, including a performance in November 2024 attended by the President of Italy. In 2019, he led the orchestra of Teatro del Giglio, Lucca, on tour in China. His soloist collaborations include pianists Jan Lisiecki, Dénes Várjon, Haochen Zhang and Meng-Chieh Liu; violinists Ning Feng and Alexander Sitkovetsky; violists Roberto Díaz and Diyang Mei; and singers Peter Lodahl, Hui He, Haojiang Tian and Liang Ning.
Alongside his symphonic and operatic work, Qian develops programmes that connect Asian music with international orchestras and audiences. He initiated the Minnesota Orchestra’s Lunar New Year project and returned to programme and conduct it for three consecutive years. Further highlights include a sold-out concert with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at Cadogan Hall in 2023, and Chinese-themed programmes with Roma Sinfonietta and Orchestre Colonne. His experience combines musical preparation with programme development and collaboration across cultures.
Qian made his European conducting debut at the Verbier Festival in 2012, his North American professional debut with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and his South American debut with the Orquesta Sinfónica del SODRE in Montevideo. His wider orchestral experience includes the Orchestre National de Lyon, Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, George Enescu Philharmonic, Croatian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, Silesian Philharmonic and Athens State Orchestra. He conducted the opening concert of Youth Music Culture The Greater Bay Area (YMCG) in 2025 and has returned to Morningside Music Bridge in Boston, including its 30th-anniversary edition in 2026, combining performance with the development of young musicians.
He won First Prize at the Bucharest International Conducting Competition in 2017, Third Prize and the Orchestra Prize at the Lovro von Matačić International Conducting Competition in 2019, and Third Prizes at the Hans von Bülow International Conducting Competition in 2021 and the Princess Astrid International Music Competition in 2022. He received a Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation Conducting Scholarship in 2018 and was also supported by the Solti Foundation from 2018 to 2020.
A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, Qian studied conducting with Otto-Werner Mueller, Christian Ehwald and Hans-Dieter Baum. Daniel Harding, Sir Roger Norrington and Christoph Eschenbach have been important mentors. His further training includes the Tanglewood Conducting Seminar, Cabrillo Festival and Gstaad Menuhin Festival, as well as work with Simone Young, Lawrence Foster, Cristian Măcelaru and Jaap van Zweden.
Before dedicating himself fully to conducting in 2016, Qian was a violist with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and had served as principal viola of the Verbier Festival Orchestra. His instrumental distinctions include Second Prize at the Johansen International Competition in 2006 and First Prizes at the China National Viola Competition in 2007 and the Morningside Music Bridge Chamber Music Competition in 2008. His years as a professional orchestral musician gave him an intimate understanding of orchestral sound and the practical demands of performance, enabling him to communicate his musical ideas clearly and bring his interpretative vision to life in close collaboration with the players.