Described by the San Francisco Chronicle in 2017 as "magnificent", Polish conductor Krzysztof Urbanski achieved international fame by his mid-30s with high praise for his performances as music director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra since 2010. He was named principal guest conductor of the Hamburg Radio Orchestra and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester.
Born in Pabianice in central Poland, he studied conducting at Warsaw's Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, won prizes and spent two years as an assistant conductor with the Warsaw Philharmonic. His first appearance as guest conductor with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra in 2009 led to a stint as their chief conductor from 2010 to 2017. He led the Indianapolis Symphony for the first time in 2010 and also appeared with orchestras in Dresden, London, Zurich, Rotterdam, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington and Toronto. His 2013 album with cellist Zuill Bailey and the Indianapolis Symphony reached number 18 on the Billboard Classical Chart. In its review of an October 2017 concert, the San Francisco Chronicle said, "His conducting combines a masterful precision of detail with a command of the broader expanse of even the most challenging repertoire."
