The Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria, announced the appointment of Romanian conductor Ion Marin as professor and artistic director of the university's concert activity. 

The conducting chair that Ion Marin leads will be named after Claudio Abbado, one of the world's greatest conductors. The chair's title was chosen especially to honor the remarkable connection between Ion Marin and Claudio Abbado, as a symbol of the "fabulous friendship between the two great musicians," according to a press release.

"With great emotion, I return to the Mozarteum University as a professor. I'm honored that the chair's name was dedicated to my mentor Claudio Abbado," Ion Marin said. 

The first project that the renowned Romanian conductor will put into practice as artistic director of Mozarteum University's concert activity will begin on January 27, 2021, at the Mozartwoche Festival and will be dedicated to the first Mozart symphonies.

This is not Ion Marin's first collaboration with the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. Most recently, in July this year, the Romanian conductor held a Masterclass in conducting art at the Austrian university, attended by students and conductors of choir and orchestra from around the world.

Romanian conductor Ion Marin is one of the few conductors who manifests himself at the highest level both in the field of symphonic music and opera, the same press release reads. He is frequently invited to conduct on the world's major stages and has conducted top orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Dresden State Chapel, the Bavarian Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, or Orchestre National de France. He also appears regularly in Japan, where he conducts the NHK Symphony Orchestra and the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. 

In 2019 Ion Marin has been named Artistic Director of the newly founded Philharmonic Orchestra of the European Union. Further details are available here. 

irina.marica@romania-insider.com