Michael Schønwandt

Michael Schønwandt Conductor

Season 26/27 Artist

Biography

Born in Copenhagen in 1953, Michael Schønwandt studied piano, music theory, and composition before turning to conducting. He continued his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 1979, he was appointed Resident Conductor at the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen. From 2015 to 2023, he served as Chief Conductor of the Orchestre National de Montpellier. In 2021, he was appointed Music Director of the Orchestre Français des Jeunes, and in 2022, Principal Guest Conductor of the Belgian National Orchestra.

Michael Schønwandt has also served as Music Director of the Royal Danish Opera and the Royal Danish Orchestra, Music Director of the Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester, Principal Guest Conductor of La Monnaie in Brussels, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. He has conducted numerous productions at the Royal Ballet and Opera, La Monnaie, the Vienna State Opera, the Paris Opera, as well as at the opera houses of Nice, Stuttgart, Cologne, Madrid, and Tel Aviv. A significant part of his career has also been devoted to the symphonic repertoire.

At the Paris Opera: Alceste (1985); Salome (1986); Macbeth (1987); Elektra (1992); The Cunning Little Vixen (2010); Lulu (2011); Così fan tutte (2013); Ariadne auf Naxos (2015); Wozzeck (2017); Falstaff (2024).

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