Christoph König

Christoph König began his tenure as Principal Conductor of the Spanish Radio Television Symphony Orchestra (RTVE) in Madrid in the 2023-24 season and has been Principal Conductor & Music Director of the Solistes Européens Luxembourg since 2010. At the beginning of the 2024-25 season he also became Principal Guest Conductor of the Warsaw Philharmonic. Celebrated for his clarity, precision, and elegant approach, König is in high demand as a guest conductor all over the world. Since his debut in the US in 2010, he has conducted many North American symphony orchestras like Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, New Jersey, Houston, Oregon, and Toronto as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Past and future highlights include appearances with among others the New Jersey Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Orchestre de Paris, the Netherlands Philharmonic, the Wiener Concertverein, the Bournemouth Symphony, the Danish National Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, the Beethoven Orchestera Bonn, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, the Romanian Radio Orchestra, the New Zealand Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, the BBC National Orchestra, and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, whom he led on a highly successful tour of China in 2008.

From 2009 to 2014, he was Principal Conductor of the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música, touring with them extensively in Europe and Brazil. From 2003 to 2006 he served as Principal Conductor of Malmö Symphony Orchestra as well as Principal Guest Conductor of Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria.

Christoph König has been affiliated with many of the leading opera houses of the world such as Zurich Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bonn Oper, Semper Oper Dresden, Staatsoper Stuttgart and Teatro Real in Madrid. König’s Beethoven Complete recording of 2020 is the highlight of his collaboration with the British label RUBICON where previous recordings include interesting combinations like Dvorak/Copland/Ives, Schubert/Berio, and Méhul/Beethoven. His projects with NAXOS include music by the French composer Louise Farrenc and Luxemburg composers. More of his discography includes the Melcer Piano Concertos with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (Hyperion), and Beethoven Symphonies with Malmö Symphony Orchestra (DB Productions). His recording of the Brahms Piano Concerto with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra was featured by the BBC Music magazine (September 2009 issue). “König offered a fresh, sensitive, elegant, and totally unmannered interpretation. Beethoven's full textures were uncommonly well balanced.”-Pittsburgh Tribune, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (Symphony no. 6).

König was born in Dresden where he sang in the famous Kreuzchoir. He studied conducting, piano, and singing at the Musikhochschule Dresden and furthered his studies in masterclasses with Sergiu Celibidache and Sir Colin Davis, whose assistant he later became with the Sächsische Staatskapelle at the Semper Oper Dresden.

On the picture Christoph König, photo by Christian Wind