Eliahu Inbal
Kurt Sanderling was the longest-serving chief conductor of the orchestra, from 1960 to 1977. Subsequent chief conductors have been Günther Herbig, Claus Peter Flor, Michael Schønwandt (1992–1998), Eliahu Inbal (2001–2006), Lothar Zagrosek, and Iván Fischer. In November 2017, the orchestra announced the appointment of Christoph Eschenbach as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2019-2020 season, with an initial contract of 3 years. In July 2021, the orchestra announced the extension of Eschenbach's contract through the 2022–2023 season.