He will take up the post at the start of the 2026/2027 season, replacing French conductor Patrick Fournillier.
Gamzou, 38, was the last student of Italian conductor Carlo Maria Giulini.
"I studied with him for two and a half years. I owe him everything. He made me realize that artistic life is a never-ending search, and allowed me to come to my own conclusions,” Gamzou told the Orfeo music website.
He has built an international career, serving as general music director in Bremen and working on productions including Carmen, Tosca, Der Freischütz, Die Fledermaus, Salome, Turandot and The Merry Widow in cities such as Berlin, Essen and Gothenburg, as well as at the English National Opera, the Opéra de Paris and the Greek National Opera.
Gamzou is also active in the symphonic repertoire and is known for his affinity for the music of Gustav Mahler.
A composer as well, he gained international recognition for completing Mahler’s unfinished Symphony No. 10, which was premiered in 2010.
His honours include the Echo Klassik Award (2017), the Princess Margriet Award (2013) and the Berenberg Culture Prize (2012).
Last year, Gamzou conducted Richard Strauss’ Salome at the Baltic Opera Festival in Poland.
Yoel Gamzou conducts Richard Strauss’ Salome at the Baltic Opera Festival in Sopot, northern Poland, in 2025. Photo: PAP/Marcin Gadomski
In January, he made his debut with the Polish National Opera orchestra in a concert featuring Beethoven’s Leonora Overture, Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs and a suite from Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet.