Christian Schumann

A truly creative conductor, programmer, and composer, Christian Schumann has rapidly established a reputation as both an opera and symphonic conductor, developing concepts that cross genres and disciplines while challenging both the orchestra and the audience.

The 2024/25 season sees Christian Schumann perform with orchestras such as the Silesian Philharmonic, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Choir, NOSPR, Banatul State Philharmonic, Romanian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Lahti Symphony Orchestra, as well as in venues such as the Philharmonie Berlin and the Conservatori Superior de Música de las Islas Baleares.

Recently, Christian has given distinguished performances with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León (his debut in Spain), Philharmonie Zuidnederland, Phion Orkest, Polska Filharmonia Bałtycka, and in a much-anticipated return to the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.

Additionally, he has made highly successful debuts in recent years with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Bamberger Symphoniker, Stuttgart Philharmonic (Strauss’s Alpine Symphony with alpinist Reinhold Messner), Dresdner Philharmonie, Orchestre Symphonique de Mulhouse, Musikkollegium Winterthur, Brussels Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, and the Royal Swedish Opera in collaboration with the legendary video game company DICE. Other recent successes include regular returns to the Oslo Philharmonic, NDR Radiophilharmonie, and Danish National Symphony Orchestra.

Christian Schumann has appeared in several important opera productions across Europe. He has conducted Peter Eötvös’s operas Die Tragödie des Teufels and Lady Sarashina at the Bayerische Staatsoper and Teatr Wielki in Warsaw respectively, Mozart’s The Magic Flute at Opera Würzburg, and the Berlin premieres of Peter Eötvös’s opera Angels in America. He also achieved critical acclaim with a new production of Peter Eötvös’s Three Sisters at Teatro Colón.

At the Grand Théâtre d’Avignon, he conducted a double bill featuring Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle and Eötvös’s Senza Sangue. He previously enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Theater St. Gallen, where he held the position of Kapellmeister between 2006 and 2009.

Schumann’s special affinity for film music has led him to conduct major projects, often for arena audiences, including appearances at the Krakow Film Music Festival (Kon-Tiki / The NeverEnding Story), as well as four open-air concerts with Het Gelders Orkest in the Netherlands. He has also led four major tours across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland featuring classics such as Star Wars, The Dark Knight, Harry Potter, James Bond, The Jungle Book, and Ratatouille. In 2022, Schumann returned to the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra to conduct the iconic Star Wars VI.