Portrait concert by Capell-Compositrice Unsuk Chin

Jonathan Stockhammer

If you want to do justice to the broad spectrum of Jonathan Stockhammer's musical work and his cross-genre curiosity, you have to leave the usual pigeonholes and classifications behind. Born in Los Angeles, the conductor who consistently pushes musicals limits devotes himself to the classical and contemporary repertoire with the same passion. This is the driving force behind his work: to understand and appreciate music in its universality. He loves opera, ballet and modern dance theatre, experimental premieres and unconventional concert formats that break down encrusted structures in favour of new listening experiences. Thanks to his astonishing talent for explaining music and understanding the audience not only as a resonating space but as a dialogue partner, he makes music newly understandable, newly experienceable.

The list of renowned orchestras and ensembles with which Jonathan Stockhammer has worked is long: there is the London Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg, hr-Sinfonieorchester, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. He is a regular guest at the Opéra de Lyon and the Zurich Opera House, has premiered two operas with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra and has conducted the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the New York City Opera, the Vienna State Opera, the Basel Theatre and the Komische Oper Berlin, among others.The Staatsballett Berlin, the Sinfonieorchester Basel, the Ensemble Modern, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Essen Philharmonic, the SWR Sinfonieorchester and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin appreciate the long-standing collaboration and dialogue partnership.

Awards such as the Echo Klassik for a recording of works by Frank Zappa with the Ensemble Modern or the Grammy for a live recording with Chick Corea, Gary Burton and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra testify to it: Jonathan Stockhammer is a passionate traveller between different musical worlds. Fortunately, he finds no place in a pigeonhole.