CHRONOLOGICAL BIOGRAPHY
2025/26
Opera productions:
Schumann: Das Paradies und die Peri, Hamburg State Opera (dir. by Tobias Kratzer, 2025)
Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Hamburg State Opera (dir. by Tatjana Gürbaca, 2026)
Mozart: Die große Stille, Hamburg State Opera (dir. by Christopher Rüping, 2026)
Mozart: Cosi fan tutte, Hamburg State Opera (dir. by Herbert Fritsch, 2018)
Strauss: Salome, Hamburg State Opera (dir. by Dmitri Tcherniakov, 2023)
Donizetti: L’elisir d’amore, Hamburg State Opera (dir. after Jean-Pierre Ponnelle †, 1977)
Wagner: Lohengrin, Hamburg State Opera (dir. by Peter Konwitschny, 1998)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde, Hamburg State Opera (dir. after Ruth Berghaus †, 1988)
2025
General Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra
2024/25
Opera productions:
Ella Milch-Sheriff: Alma, Vienna Volksoper (dir. by Ruth Brauer-Kvam, 2024) world premiere
Ligeti: Le Grand Macabre, Teatro Massimo Palermo (dir. by Barbora Haráková, 2024)
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro, Vienna Volksoper (dir. by Lotte de Beer, 2025)
Bizet: Carmen, Opera di Roma (dir. by Fabio Ceresa, 2025)
Ullmann/ Mozart: KaiserRequiem, Vienna Volksoper (dir. by Andreas Heise, 2025)
Debut:
Wroclaw Philharmonic
Orchestre de Paris
Orchestre National Capitol Toulouse
2023/24
Opera productions:
Strauss: Salome, Vienna Volksoper (after Salzburg Festival production 1992 by Luc Bondy, Scenic rehearsal Marie-Louise Bischofberger-Bondy)
Vincenzo Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Teatro Massimo Palermo (dir. by Idan Cohen, 2016)
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde, Teatro Massimo Palermo (dir. by Daniele Menghini, 2024)
Debut:
Prag Radio Symphony Orchestra
Teatro d’ell Opera di Roma
Hamburg State Opera
Tour:
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen (with Hilary Hahn)
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
2022/23
Opera productions:
Tschaikowski: Jolanthe und der Nussknacker, Vienna Volksoper (dir. by Lotte de Beer, 2022)
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, Vienna Volksoper (dir. by Henry Mason, 2020)
Puccini: La Bohème, Vienna Volksoper (dir. by Harry Kupfer, 1984)
Ullmann/ Mozart: KaiserRequiem, Teatro Massimo Palermo (creation by Omer Meir Wellber and Marco Gandini, 2022) world premiere
Tschaikowski: Eugen Onegin, Teatro Massimo Palermo (dir. by Julien Chavaz, 2023)
Wagner: Lohengrin, Vienna Staatsoper (dir. by Andreas Homoki, 2014)
Debut:
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Tour:
Vienna Symphony Orchestra (Europe)
2022
Music Director of the Vienna Volksoper
„Rudi-Häussler-Preis“ of the Stiftung Semperoper
French book launch “Les Absences de Haïm Birkner”, published by Éditions du sous-sol
2021
Italian book launch “Storia vera e non vera di Chaim Birkner”, published by Sellerio Editore
Special Prize of the prestigious Italian Associazione Nazionale Critici Musicali (National Association of Music Critics).
Cielo d’Alcamo Literary Prize for the Italian publication of his novel Die vier Ohnmachten des Chaim Birkner (Berlin Verlag, 2019)
2021/22
Opera productions:
Bizet: Carmen, Teatro Massimo Palermo (dir. by Calixto Bieito, 1999)
Bizet: Carmen, Vienna State Opera (dir. by Calixto Bieito, 1999)
Verdi: Les Vêpres siciliennes, Teatro Massimo Palermo (dir. by Emma Dante, 2022)
Mozart: Don Giovanni, Semperoper Dresden (dir. by Andreas Kriegenburg, 2016)
Mozart: Cosí fan tutte, Semperoper Dresden (dir. by Andreas Kriegenburg, 2014)
Puccini: Madama Butterfly, Semperoper Dresden (dir. by Amon Miyamoto, 2013)
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro, Semperoper Dresden (dir. by Johannes Erath, 2015)
Verdi: Aida, Semperoper Dresden (dir. by Katharina Thalbach, 2022)
Debut:
Portrait Artist of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival
Orchestre National de France
2020/21
Opera productions:
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, Semperoper Dresden (dir. by Josef E. Köpplinger, 2020)
Erath/Wellber: Il crepuscolo dei sogni, Teatro Massimo Palermo world premiere, 2021
Debut:
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
Bregenz Festival
2020
Music Director of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo
2019/20
Opera productions:
Ligeti: Le Grand Macabre, Semperoper Dresden (dir. by Calixto Bieito, 2019)
Wagner: Parsifal, Teatro Massimo Palermo (dir. by Graham Vick, 2020)
Debuts:
Munich Philharmonic Orchestra
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic
Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini
DR Symfoniorkestret Copenhagen
Teatro della Verdura, Festival Palermo
2019
Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic
2019
German Book Launch “Die vier Ohnmachten des Chaim Birkner”, published by BerlinVerlag
2018/19
Opera productions:
Bizet: Carmen, Metropolitan Opera New York (dir. by Sir Richard Eyre, 2009)
Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier, Semperoper Dresden (dir. by Uwe Eric Laufenberg, 2000)
Wagner: Tannhäuser, Semperoper Dresden (dir. by Peter Konwitschny, 1997)
Verdi: Nabucco, Semperoper Dresden (dir. by David Bösch, 2019)
Debuts:
Metropolitan Opera
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
Tour:
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
2018
Principal Guest Conductor Semperoper Dresden
2017/18
Opera productions:
Verdi: Les Vêpres siciliennes, Bavarian State Opera (dir. by Antú Romero Nunes, 2018)
Puccini: Madama Butterfly, Glyndebourne Festival (dir. by Annilese Miskimmon, 2016)
Debuts:
Houston Symphony Orchestra
Mahler Chamber Orchestra
SWR Symphony Orchestra
BBC Philharmonic
2017
Book Launch of “Die Angst, das Risiko und die Liebe – Momente mit Mozart”, published by Ecowin-Verlag
2016/17
Opera productions:
Strauss: Salome, Semperoper Dresden (dir. by Uwe Eric Laufenberg, 2000)
Wagner: Tannhäuser, Teatro La Fenice (dir. by Calixto Bieito, 2017)
Giordano: Andrea Chenier, Bavarian State Opera (dir. by Philipp Stölzl, 2017)
Massenet: Werther, Teatro Massimo Palermo (dir. by Giorgia Guerra, 2017)
World premieres:
Sofia Gubaidulina: On Love and Hate, Saxon State Orchestra Dresden
Debuts:
Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin
Orchestra National de Lyon
Tonhalle-Orchestra Zurich
Sao Paolo Symphony Orchestra
WDR Symphony Orchestra
2015/16
Opera productions:
Boito: Mefistofele, Bavarian State Opera (dir. by Roland Schwab, 2015)
Verdi: La forza del destino, L’Arena di Verona (dir. by Pier Francesco Maestrini, 2015)
Offenbach: Hoffmanns Erzählungen, Teatro La Fenice
Mozart: Don Giovanni, Semperoper Dresden (dir. by Andreas Kriegenburg, 2016)
Debuts:
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Salzburg Camerata
Orchestra del Teatro comunale di Bologna
Sveriges Radios Symfoniorkester
2014/15
Opera productions:
Bizet: Carmen, Bavarian State Opera (dir. by Lina Wertmüller, 2014)
Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Teatro La Fenice (dir. by Arnaud Bernard, 2015)
Donizetti: Don Pasquale, Teatro La Fenice (dir. by Italo Nunziata, 2015)
Verdi: La Traviata, Teatro La Fenice (dir. by Robert Carsen, 2004)
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro, Semperoper Dresden (dir. by Johannes Erath, 2015)
Debuts:
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
2013/14
Opera productions:
Puccini: Madama Butterfly, Teatro La Fenice (dir. by Àlex Rigola, 2013)
Donizetti: Don Pasquale, Teatro Filarmonico Verona (dir. by Antonio Albanese, 2013)
Strauss: Guntram, Semperoper Dresden (concert)
Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos, Semperoper Dresden (dir. by Marco Arturo Marelli, 1999)
Mozart: Così fan tutte, Semperoper Dresden (dir. by Andreas Kriegenburg, 2014)
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin
Debut:
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Glyndebourne Festival
2012/13
Opera productions:
Verdi: Rigoletto, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía Valencia (dir. by Gilbert Deflo, 2012)
Verdi: I due Foscari, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía Valencia (dir. by Thaddeus Strassberger, 2013)
Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía Valencia (dir. by Damiano Michieletto, 2013)
Verdi: La Traviata, Bavarian State Opera (dir. by Günter Krämer, 1993)
Bizet: Carmen, Teatro La Fenice (dir. by Calixto Bieito, 2012)
Donizetti: L’elisir d’amore, Teatro La Fenice (dir. by Bepi Morassi, 2012)
Verdi: Macbeth, Teatro Filarmonico Verona (dir. by Stefano Trespidi, 2012)
Verdi: Il Trovatore, Theater an der Wien (dir. by Philipp Stölzl, 2013)
Verdi: Aida, Teatro Filarmonico Verona
Debuts:
Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Turin
HR-Symphony Orchestra
Orchestra della Fenice
NDR Radiophilharmonie, Hannover
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Orchestra del Teatro Massimo, Palermo
Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Firenze
2011/12
Opera productions:
De Falla: La vida breve – El amor brujo, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía Valencia (dir. by Giancarlo del Monaco, 2010 I Goyo Montero, 2012)
Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía Valencia (dir. by Andrei Konchalovsky, 2012)
Puccini: Tosca, Valencia (dir. by Jean-Louis Grinda, 2012)
Verdi: Rigoletto, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía Valencia
Puccini: Tosca, La Scala (dir. after Luca Ronconi, 2000)
Puccini: Tosca, Teatro Massimo in Palermo (dir. after Alberto Fassini, 1999)
Verdi: La Traviata, Berlin State Opera (dir. by Peter Mussbach, 2000)
Verdi: La Traviata, Theater an der Wien
Verdi: Aida, Teatro alla Scala (dir. by Franco Zeffirelli, 2012)
Debuts:
Orchestre de Paris
Filarmonica della Scala
2010/11
Opera productions:
Strauss: Daphne, Semperoper Dresden (dir. by Torsten Fischer, 2010)
Strauss: Salome, Saito Kinen Festival in Matsumoto (dir. by Francesca Zambello, 2010)
Puccini: Tosca, Berlin State Opera (dir. after Carl Riha, 1969)
Verdi: Aida, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia Valencia (dir. by David McVicar, 2010)
Tchaikovsky: Eugen Onegin, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia Valencia (dir. after Mariusz Teliński, 2011)
Donizetti: L’elisir D’amore, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia Valencia (dir. by Damiano Michieletto)
Verdi: Rigoletto, Theater an der Wien (dir. by Luc Bondy)
Debuts:
Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia Valencia
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
La Fenice in Venice
2010 – 2014
Music Director of Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia
2009/10
Opera productions:
Verdi: Il Trovatore, Teatro Verdi, Padova
(dir. by Denis Krief, 2009)
Bizet: Carmen, Berlin State Opera (dir. by Martin Kušej, 2010)
2008–2010
Assistant to Daniel Barenboim at the Berlin State Opera and at Teatro alla Scala
2008
Opera productions:
Verdi: Aida, Teatro Verdi, Padova (dir. by Hugo de Ana, 2008)
2007
Debuts:
Bejing Philharmonic Orchestra, China
2000–2008
Conducting and Composing studies with Eugene Zirlin (M.A.), Graduation in Prof. Mendi Rodan’s program
1999
Graduation from the Conservatory
1986 – 2004
Musical education, accordion and piano lessons
1986
Start of his musical education, accordion and piano lessons