Rafael Kubelík
The orchestra was founded in 1949, with members of an earlier radio orchestra in Munich as the core personnel. Eugen Jochum was the orchestra's first chief conductor, from 1949 until 1960. Subsequent chief conductors have included Rafael Kubelík, Sir Colin Davis and Lorin Maazel. The orchestra's most recent chief conductor was Mariss Jansons, from 2003 until his death in 2019. Jansons regularly campaigned for a new concert hall during his tenure.