Anja Bihlmaier (born 11 October 1978) is a German conductor.
Anja Bihlmaier (born 11 October 1978) is a German conductor.
Bihlmaier was born in Schwäbisch Gmünd. Her parents sang in a church choir, and she learned the recorder as a youth. [1] She later studied piano and violin. [2] Her teachers included Roland Baldini, Johannes Pfitzer and Volker Stenzl. She continued piano studies with Elza Kolodin at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg , from which she graduated in 2003.
Bihlmaier studied conducting with Scott Sandmeier at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg, and earned a conducting diploma in 2006. From 2004 to 2005, she held a conducting scholarship at the Mozarteum Salzburg, where she was a pupil of Dennis Russell Davies and Jorge Rotter. From 2005 to 2008, she was part of the Conductors' Forum of the German Music Council, and participated in conducting masterclasses with Sian Edwards, Peter Gülke, Günther Herbig, Gunter Kahlert, Kenneth Kiesler, Klauspeter Seibel and Jac van Steen. Other conducting mentors have included Kirk Trevor, Tsung Yeh, Giordano Bellincampi, Karen Kamensek and Antony Hermus.
From 2006 to 2010, Bihlmaier worked as a repetiteur at the Theater Coburg, at the Theater Görlitz, and at the Theater für Niedersachsen Hildesheim. From 2010 to 2013, Bihlmaier worked at the Theater Chemnitz as Zweite Kapellmeisterin (Second Kapellmeister) and assistant to the GMD (Generalmusikdirektor). From 2013 to 2015, she was Zweite Kapellmeisterin of the Staatsoper Hannover. From 2015 to 2018, Bihlmaier served as Erste Kapellmeisterin (First Kapellmeister) and deputy GMD of the Staatstheater Kassel. She was the second titled female conductor in the history of the Staatstheater Kassel. [3]
In July 2017, Bihlmaier conducted the St Margarethen Opera Festival production of Rigoletto , the first female conductor in the festival's history. [1] In November 2018, Bihlmaier first-guest conducted the Residentie Orchestra (Residentie Orkest). She first guest-conducted the Lahti Symphony Orchestra in December 2018. In May 2019, the Residentie Orkest announced the appointment of Bihlmaier as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2021-2022 season. [4] [5] [6] This appointment marks her first chief conductorship. [7] Bihlmaier is the first female conductor to be named chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest, and the second female conductor to be named chief conductor of any Dutch orchestra. [8] In September 2019, the Lahti Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of Bihlmaier as its next principal guest conductor, effective with the 2020-2021 season, with an initial contract of 3 seasons. She is the first female conductor named to the Lahti post. [9] In December 2023, the Residentie Orchestra announced that Bihlmaier is to stand down as its chief conductor at the close of the 2024-2025 season. [10] [11]
In the UK, Bihlmaier first guest-conducted the BBC Philharmonic in February 2022. [12] Bihlmaier returned to the BBC Philharmonic for three subsequent guest-conducting appearances, [13] [14] including her debut at The Proms in July 2023. [15] In August 2024, the BBC Philharmonic announced the appointment of Bihlmaier as its next principal guest conductor, [16] the first female conductor ever to be named to the post, effective in September 2024, with an initial contract of three seasons. [17] Bihlmaier first guest-conducted at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in August 2024. On 29 August 2024, Bihlmaier conducted Georges Bizet's Carmen at the BBC Proms, the first female conductor ever to conduct the annual Glyndebourne Festival Opera Prom. [18]
The Dutch National Opera is a Dutch opera company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its present home base is the Dutch National Opera & Ballet housed in the Stopera building, a modern building designed by Cees Dam and Wilhelm Holzbauer that opened in 1986.
The BBC Philharmonic is a national British broadcasting symphony orchestra and is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Philharmonic is a department of the BBC North Group division based at MediaCityUK, Salford. The orchestra's primary concert venue is the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester.
Jiří Bělohlávek, was a Czech conductor. He was a leading interpreter of Czech classical music, and became chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in 1990, a role he would serve on two occasions during a combined span of seven years. He also served a six-year tenure as the chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 2012. He gained international renown and repute for his performances of the works of Czech composers such as Antonín Dvořák and Bohuslav Martinů, and was credited as "the most profound proponent of Czech orchestral music" by Czech music specialist Professor Michael Beckerman.
Het Residentie Orkest is a Dutch orchestra based in The Hague. The orchestra is currently resident at the Amare performing arts centre in The Hague.
The Lahti Symphony Orchestra is a Finnish orchestra, based in the city of Lahti. The orchestra is resident at the Sibelius Hall. The orchestra was founded in 1910, and placed under the control of the Lahti municipality in 1949.
The Radio Filharmonisch Orkest is a Dutch radio orchestra, based in Hilversum. The RFO performs under the aegis of the Muziekcentrum van de Omroep, an umbrella organization bringing together the music departments of the various broadcasting associations affiliated to Nederlandse Publieke Omroep.
Xian Zhang is a Chinese-American conductor.
Jaap van Zweden is a Dutch conductor and violinist. He is currently music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the Seoul Philharmonic.
Jun Märkl is a German conductor. He was chief conductor at the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra.
The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra is a Dutch chamber orchestra based in Amsterdam. The NKO is part of the Stichting Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, along with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra (NedPhO). The core of the NKO is a group of at least 20 string instrumentalists. The orchestra does not have wind, percussion and harp players as permanent orchestra members, but instead utilises such instrumentalists from the NedPhO. The orchestra is headquartered and rehearses at the Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam.
Eduard Philip Spanjaard, known professionally as Ed Spanjaard, is a Dutch conductor and pianist.
Nicholas Collon is a British conductor.
Elim Chan is a Hong Kong-born conductor.
The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra is a Belgian symphony orchestra based in Antwerp, with the Queen Elisabeth Hall as its principal concert venue. The orchestra performs in a number of venues in various cities in Belgium:
Joana Mallwitz is a German conductor and pianist.
Karina Canellakis is an American conductor and violinist.
Dalia Stasevska is a Finnish conductor. She is currently principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and chief conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra.
Giedrė Šlekytė is a Lithuanian conductor, who works in Europe with a focus on opera. After she was one of three conductors for the Young Conductor Award of the Salzburg Festival in 2015, she worked at the Stadttheater Klagenfurt for two seasons. She conducted Schreker's Die Gezeichneten at the Opernhaus Zürich, and Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites at the Oper Frankfurt in 2021.
Sarah Elizabeth Gibson was an American pianist and composer. She and pianist and composer Thomas Kotcheff formed a piano duo, Hocket. Her compositions have been performed by major orchestras throughout the United States and in Europe.
Stephanie Childress is a Franco-British conductor. She is the Principal Guest Conductor for the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and National Orchestra of Catalonia.