Slovenian conductor Marko Letonja studied piano and conducting at the Music Academies of Ljubljana and Vienna. Following his début with the Slovenian Philharmonic, of which he was music director from 1991 to 2003, he was invited to conduct major European orchestras, including the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and Munich Philharmonic. From 2003 to 2006 he was music director and chief conductor of the Basel Symphony Orchestra and Opera.

Marko Letonja is also active in the opera house, conducting operas mainly of Italian and German repertoire at many important European houses. He enjoyed very successful New Zealand and Australia concert tours in the summers of 2007–2010 and conducted Le nozze di Figaro and Rigoletto with Opera Australia. From 2008 to 2010 he was principal guest conductor of Orchestra Victoria in Melbourne, and from 2012 to 2014 was chief conductor and artistic director of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

Marko Letonja was appointed music director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg in the 2012/13 season.