Christopher Ward (born 18 March 1980) is a British conductor. [1] [2] In August 2018 he became the music director of Theater Aachen. [3]
Christopher Ward (born 18 March 1980) is a British conductor. [1] [2] In August 2018 he became the music director of Theater Aachen. [3]
Born in 1980, Christopher Ward studied at Tonbridge School, Oxford University and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. During this time, he worked with Oxford University Philharmonia and Chorus, Oxford Bach Choir and New Chamber Opera. In 2003, he was awarded the position of Répétiteur Fellow at Scottish Opera and the RSAMD, Glasgow.
In 2004, he spent a period working at the Internationales Opernstudio at Zürich Opera before moving to Germany in 2005 to work as Solorepetitor and Kapellmeister at Staatstheater Kassel. Working as music staff on a broad repertoire, he led several new productions, and conducted the Staatsorchester Kassel in a range of concerts as well as directing the theatre’s annual youth orchestra project (TJO). In 2006, he assisted Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic in a production of Wagner’s Das Rheingold at the Aix-en-Provence Music Festival, and continued this association in Berlin and Salzburg (Easter Festival 2007).
Christopher Ward became Kapellmeister and Assistant to Kent Nagano at the Bavarian State Opera in 2009. He not only led new productions of Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Haydn’s La fedeltá premiata and Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen, and world premieres of Eötvös’ Die Tragödie des Teufels, Ronchetti’s Narrenschiffe and Srnka`s Make No Noise (opening the International Munich Summer Opera Festival with Ensemble Modern), but also led concerts with the Bayerische Staatsorchester, and Orchesterakademie, and the Opera Studios of Munich and La Scala, Milan.
In 2014, he became 1. Kapellmeister at the Saarländisches Staatstheater. Here he conducted new productions of Weber’s Der Freischütz, Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, Rigoletto, and Nabucco, Dvořák’s Rusalka, Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges and Daphnis et Chloé, Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Golden Cockerel, Rameau’s Platée, Obst's Solaris and Haas’ Bluthaus, as well as a number of revivals, ballets and symphonic concerts.
As guest conductor, Christopher Ward has directed performances at the Staatsoper Hamburg, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Komische Oper, Oper Graz, Salzburger Landestheater, Staatsoper Prag, National Theater Prag, Slovak National Theatre, Staatstheater Braunschweig, Staatstheater Mainz, Staatstheater Darmstadt and Theater Bremen, as well as conducting concerts among others with the Staatskapelle Halle, Bremer Philharmoniker, Staatsorchester Braunschweig and Oldenburgisches Staatsorchester.. He has also directed world premieres at Prague Spring International Music Festival and Bregenz Summer Festival, and in 2019 took over at short notice the world premiere of Jörg Widmann’s Babylon for an indisposed Daniel Barenboim at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin.
With labels Naxos and Capriccio, he has recorded a number of highly regarded CDs which have received several Opus Klassik nominations, collaborating with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gürzenich Orchestra Köln, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz and Sinfonieorchester Aachen.
Christopher Ward has been Generalmusikdirektor of Theater Aachen since 2018. Here he has pursued innovative programming ideas and developed the overall musical standards through numerous productions and concerts (including Berg's Wozzeck, Verdi's La Forza del Destino, Bizet's Carmen, Purcell's King Arthur and Puccini's La Bohème), appearing regularly with Sinfonieorchester Aachen at the Kölner Philharmonie and Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Alongside maintaining a focus on contemporary music, a baroque ensemble has also been developed from within the orchestra, playing solely on period instruments. Several recording projects have gained international attention, including world premiere recordings of the music of Leo Blech, and there remains an ongoing relationship with Deutschlandfunk Kultur and WDR. Christopher Ward has also appeared with the orchestra in two feature length films, including Fatih Akin’s box office hit Rheingold.
Christof Prick is a German orchestra conductor. He uses the name Christof Perick in English-speaking countries. His father was the concertmaster of the Hamburg Philharmonic.
Péter Halász is a Hungarian conductor.
Frank Beermann is a German conductor. He was Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) at the Chemnitz Opera for several years, and has worked freelance at international opera houses from 2012. He has conducted premieres and recordings of rarely performed operas and orchestral works.
Marcus Bosch is a German conductor. He was Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) in Aachen, held the position at the Staatstheater Nürnberg from 2011, and with the Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock from 2020. He is the artistic director of an opera festival in his home town. Conducting internationally, he was appointed professor at the Musikhochschule München in 2016. He was acclaimed for his recording of Bruckner's complete symphonies, among others.
Michael Hofstetter is a German conductor and academic. He was chief conductor of the festival Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele from 2005 to 2012, and has been Generalmusikdirektor of Gießen since. He has worked internationally at notable opera houses and festivals. He is regarded as an expert of historically informed performance, who has rediscovered and recorded rarely performed operas.
Marc Piollet is a French conductor. After positions at the Staatstheater Kassel and Volksoper in Vienna, he was Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden from 2004 to 2012.
Stefan Soltész was a Hungarian-born Austrian conductor. Trained in Vienna, from 1997 to 2013 he was artistic director of the Aalto Theatre and Generalmusikdirektor in Essen, leading the opera house to international recognition.
Walter Schartner was a German conductor, composer and Hochschullehrer. In 1946, he was appointed Generalmusikdirektor in Halle and as such he directed the Orchestra of the Halle Opera House. In 1949/50, he was chief conductor of the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Halle.
Alejandro Marco-Buhrmester, previously also Alexander Marco-Buhrmester is a German operatic baritone.
Karl Dammer was a German conductor, Generalmusikdirektor at the Städtische Oper Berlin from 1937.
Benjamin-Helge Bruns is a German operatic tenor.
Constantin Trinks is a German conductor.
Albert Bittner was a German conductor and Generalmusikdirektor.
Michael Helmrath is a German oboist and conductor and since the 2016/2017 season, active as General Music Director of the Theater Nordhausen/Loh-Orchester Sondershausen.
Anthony Bramall is a British conductor.
Wolfgang Trommer was a German conductor and academic teacher.
Roland Böer is a German conductor with a focus on opera. He has worked at leading European opera houses, including the Oper Frankfurt where he began as répétiteur in 1996, was Kapellmeister from 2002 to 2008, and has often appeared as a guest. He was artistic director of the Cantiere Internazionale d'Arte in Montepulciano from 2015 to 2020.
Garrett Keast is an American conductor of symphony orchestra, opera, and ballet and founder of the Berlin Academy of American Music (BAAM).
Sung Min Song is a South Korean operatic tenor who has performed internationally, based in Germany. He is focused on Italian opera and 19th-century oratorios including Puccini's Messa di Gloria and Verdi's Requiem. A member of the Saarländisches Staatstheater from 2017, he is capable of performing tenor roles with a high tessitura such as Arnold in Rossini's Guillaume Tell.
Nicholas Carter is an Australian conductor. He is currently Chief Conductor and Co-Opera Director of Oper Bern, Switzerland.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
