Jonathan Stockhammer

If one wants to do justice to Jonathan Stockhammer's broad spectrum of musical work and genre-spanning curiosity, one cannot think in pigeonholes. The Los Angeles-born conductor deals with so-called classical as well as contemporary repertoire with the same passion. Understanding and appreciating music in its universality is the driving force behind his work - for him, great music is not bound to a specific genre. He loves opera, classical ballet and modern dance theatre just as much as he loves experimental world premieres or unconventional concert formats that break down encrusted structures in favour of new listening experiences. His talent for explaining music and understanding the audience as a dialogue partner makes music understandable and experienceable in a new way. A charismatic communicator, he applies his interpretational sensibilities to both well-known, beloved repertoire as well as to overlooked masterworks of the past. Composers of today respect him as an experienced, flexible and astute partner in bringing their new works to life. On stage he forges strong bonds between performers and audiences. In rehearsal and performance alike, he has a gift for creating a community of the moment and for the moment.

Opera is central to Jonathan Stockhammer’s work. The operas he has conducted, including Zemlinsky’s Eine florentinische Tragödie, Sciarrino’s Luci mie traditrici and Monkey: Journey to the West by Damon Albarn, identify him as a conductor who welcomes and masters the difficulties presented by complex scores and special, interdisciplinary productions. He has been a regular guest at the Opéra de Lyon since first appearing there in 1998. In 2009, he conducted the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra in Wolfgang Rihm’s Proserpina and Deus Passus. In 2013, he made his debut at the New York City Opera in Thomas Adès’ Powder Her Face. In 2016, he made his debut at the Vienna State Opera in a new production of Peter Eötvös’s Tri Sestri (Three Sisters) and returned in the spring of 2020. In 2019, he made his debut at the Zurich Opera with Michael Pelzel’s Last Call and returned in the season of 2021/22. Following the new production of Philip Glass’ Satyagraha by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui at the Komische Oper Berlin and Theater Basel, he opened Basel’s season 2019/2020 with Luigi Nono’s Al gran sole carico d’amore. In the 2022/23 season, he made his debuts at Opera Vlaanderen (Satyagraha), Oper Frankfurt (The Cunning Little Vixen) and Staatsballett Berlin (Onegin). In the 2023/24 season, he will conduct BOVARY, the opening production of Christian Spuck, the new artistic director of the Staatsballett Berlin.

Jonathan Stockhammer has worked with numerous renowned orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, NDR Symphony Orchestra Hamburg, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and has appeared at the Salzburg Festival, Lucerne Festival, Schwetzingen Festival, Donaueschingen Festival, Biennale Venice, the Wiener Festwochen and Wien Modern.

Aside from conducting classical and romantic masterpieces and contemporary classical works, he enjoys delving into music that blurs the boundaries between classical music, rock, pop, and hip-hop. His CD Greggery Peccary & Other Persuasions with Ensemble Modern (RCA, 2003), featuring works by Frank Zappa, won an Echo Klassik Award. He also recorded a new soundtrack to Sergei Eisensteins’s 1925 film The Battleship Potemkin, composed and performed by the Pet Shop Boys. His live recording of The New Crystal Silence with Chick Corea, Gary Burton and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra won a Grammy in 2009. His collaboration with spoken word artist Saul Williams on Said the Shotgun to the Head, featuring music composed by Thomas Kessler, has also been particularly successful. To date, he has conducted the work with the WDR Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Oslo Philharmonic.  

Jonathan Stockhammer first studied Chinese and political science before moving on to studies in composition and conducting in his hometown of Los Angeles. During his studies, he filled in for a series of concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, after which he was asked to become chief conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen’s assistant. After completing his studies, he moved to Germany where he formed close relationships with well-known European ensembles such as Ensemble Modern, Collegium Novum Zürich and Ensemble Resonanz.

2023/2024 season

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