Whether as an opera conductor, orchestra leader, festival director or author: Ingo Metzmacher is internationally recognized for his uncompromising commitment to the music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Making the new sound familiar and the familiar sound new has been his focus since the beginning of his career.
Metzmacher was General Music Director of the Staatsoper Hamburg (1997–2005), Chief Conductor at the Dutch National Opera (2005–07) and Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (2007–10). From 2016 to 2025, he served as Artistic Director of the KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen in Hanover, shaping the festival with ambitious large-scale projects and landmark premieres.
Ingo Metzmacher is a frequent guest with leading orchestras such as the Wiener Philharmoniker, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Oslo Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, La Filarmonica della Scala, The Cleveland Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Wiener Symphoniker and Ensemble Modern.
Metzmacher’s 2026-2027 season opens with a return to the Salzburger Festspiele for Hans Werner Henze’s Der Prinz von Hamburg. He also brings Henze’s ‘Voices’ with Ensemble Modern to Köln, and with Klangforum Wien to Wien and Madrid, and weaves Henze with Wagner and Debussy at the Verdi Festival in Parma. Metzmacher continues his close relationship with Opéra national de Paris, leading the world premiere of Hèctor Parra’s Miroir de nos peines, as well as Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Also in Paris, he returns to Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France for the European premiere of Unsuk Chin’s trumpet concerto with Håkan Hardenberger. Elsewhere, Metzmacher joins Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Pierre-Laurent Aimard for performances of Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphony across Germany. He partners works of Lili Boulanger with Stravinsky and Bernstein in Berlin, and brings Zemlinsky to Reykjavik, Brahms to Brussels, Hindemith to Bolzano and Shostakovich to Copenhagen.
Highlights of recent seasons include new productions of Rihm’s Die Eroberung von Mexico, Enescu’s Œdipe, Nono’s Intolleranza 1960, Verdi’s Falstaff, and Hans Werner Henze’s The Raft of the Medusa at the Salzburger Festspiele, Strauss’ Salome at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Enescu’s Œdip, Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and Glass’s Satyagraha in Paris, Braunfel’s Die Vögel at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Magnard’s Guercœur at the Opéra national du Rhin and the world premiere of Francesco Filidei’s Il nome della rosa at Teatro alla Scala. To date, he has led the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester on five tours across Europe.
At the KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen, Metzmacher brought together the NDR Radiophilharmonie and numerous regional choirs to perform Schönberg’s Gurre-Lieder, Berlioz’s Requiem, Mahler’s Symphony No.8 and Bernstein’s MASS, and with the Ensemble Modern the world premiere of Mark Andre’s rwh 1-4.
Metzmacher’s wide-ranging discography includes live recordings of his legendary New Year’s Eve concerts in Hamburg (1999-2004) entitled Who’s Afraid of 20th Century Music?, a complete recording of Hartmann’s symphonies with the Bamberger Symphoniker, the world premiere of Henze’s Ninth Symphony with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Messiaen’s Eclairs sur l’Au-delà… with the Wiener Philharmonker. Most recently, he released two recordings with Ensemble Modern: Andre’s cycle riss, and Beschenkt – 40 miniatures celebrating the ensemble’s 40th anniversary.
He is the author of two books: Keine Angst vor neuen Tönen [Don’t Be Afraid of New Sounds] and Vorhang auf! Oper entdecken und erleben [Curtain Up! Discovering and Experiencing Opera].
2026-2027
