David Afkham

David Afkham (born 1983 ) is a German conductor.

Biography Born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, Afkham began violin and piano studies at age 6. At age 15, he studied at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg, where he was a piano student of James Avery. In 2002, he won the competition. In 2007, he finished his conducting studies with Nicolás Pasquet at the Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt" in Weimar. One of his siblings is Micha Afkham, a violist with the Berlin Philharmonic. and subsequently became assistant conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. From 2009 to 2012, he was assistant conductor of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra.

In 2014, Afkham became principal conductor of the Orquesta Nacional de España (ONE), his first principal conductorship. In February 2019, the ONE announced the elevation of Afkham's title with the orchestra to chief conductor and artistic director of the Orquesta y Coro Nacional de España (OCNE), effective with the 2019–2020 season. In January 2023, the OCNE announced the extension of Afkham's contract through September 2026. Afkham concluded his tenure as chief conductor of the OCNE at the close of the 2025–2026 season, with the debut of both the ONE and Afkham at the BBC Proms in July 2026.

Afkham is married to the soprano Christiane Karg. The couple have two children. With Karg, Afkham has commercially recorded for such labels as Berlin Classics. For his services to music, Afkham was appointed Commander of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise in June 2026.