[2] The Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of the city of Cologne, which includes the post of Gürzenich-Kapellmeister, is François-Xavier Roth, since 1 September 2015.
[8] In September 2022, the city of Cologne announced that Roth is to stand down as Gürzenich-Kapellmeister at the close of the 2024–2025 season.
[9] In July 2024, in light of accusations against Roth of sexting and sexually inappropriate conduct towards other musicians, the city of Cologne announced the close of Roth's tenure as Gürzenich-Kapellmeister and chief conductor of the Cologne Opera with immediate effect, one season earlier than the previously scheduled tenure conclusion.
[10] In March 2023, the city of Köln announced the appointment of Andrés Orozco-Estrada as its next GMD and Gürzenich-Kapellmeister, effective with the 2025–2026 season.
[22][23][24] Under conductor emeritus Dmitri Kitayenko, the orchestra recorded a number of complete cycles by the composers Shostakovitch,[25] Prokofiev,[26] and Tchaikovsky.