Marc Hajjar is a conductor with an unconventional career path, distinguished by his versatility in the field. A semi-finalist in the 2015 Besançon International Conducting Competition, he engages across multiple facets of the profession—whether as a guest with prestigious orchestras and specialist ensembles, as artistic director, or through transmission of his art.

Deeply committed to contemporary repertoire and new music, he has forged collaborations in recent seasons with leading festivals and ensembles, including the Ensemble Modern and Ensemble Intercontemporain. A graduate of the International Ensemble Modern Academy (IEMA), he works regularly with both established composers like George Benjamin and emerging talents. Marc has premiered more than a hundred works.

His engagements span a broad repertoire, with now a particular focus on opera. He has been invited to conduct the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Orchestre National d’Auvergne, Orchestre Victor Hugo, and Orchestre National de Lille. He assisted Alexandre Bloch at both Opéra de Lyon and Bayerische Staatsoper, George Benjamin at the Opéra-Comique with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Marc Leroy at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and Bas Wiegers during the Munich Biennale. The 2025–26 season marks his debuts particularly with the Orchestre de Chambre du Luxembourg, Ensemble Contrechamps (Geneva) and Münchener Kammerorchester (MKO) on opera diptychs, and also with the Orchestre National de Bretagne.

In 2015, Marc founded the Ensemble Nouvelles Portées, drawing on his entrepreneurial experience to champion creation in all its forms, musical excellence for diverse audiences, and innovative participative formats. For six years, he worked within the DEMOS programme (Philharmonie de Paris) and also taught conducting at the Conservatoire de Besançon.

A graduate of the École Centrale, he initially worked as an engineer while performing as a violinist in many orchestras. His conducting studies began with Jean-Sébastien Béreau before he earned his Master’s degree from the Royal Academy of Music in London. His other teachers were Colin Metters, Sian Edwards, Vsevolod Polonsky, Leonid Grin and Péter Eötvös.

Marc is a laureate of the Bleustein-Blanchet Foundation.

www.marchajjar.com