Christoph Eschenbach

Christoph Eschenbach is a phenomenon amongst the top league of international conductors. Universally acclaimed as both a conductor and pianist, he belongs firmly to the German intellectual line of tradition, yet he combines this with a rare emotional intensity, producing performances revered by concert-goers worldwide.

Encouraged by mentors like George Szell and Herbert von Karajan, Eschenbach shifted his focus to conducting: he has held chief artistic positions with the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra (1982-86), Houston Symphony (1988-99), Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival (1999-2002), NDR Symphony Orchestra (1998-2004), Philadelphia Orchestra (2003-08), Orchestre de Paris (2000-10), National Symphony Orchestra (D.C.) (2010-17), and Konzerthausorchester Berlin (2019-23). From September 2024, he is Artistic Director of the NFM Philharmonic Orchestra in Wroclaw, the city of his birth. This represents the 13th position he holds as head of an orchestra.

Elsewhere, Eschenbach has been a frequent guest with the Vienna, Berlin and New York Philharmonics, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago and NHK Symphony Orchestra, La Scala, and many others.

Christoph Eschenbach’s impressive discography with over 150 recordings, both as a conductor and pianist, spans more than six decades and ranges from Bach to contemporary music. He has been the recipient of innumerable honors including being named Knight of the Légion d’Honneur, Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, recipient of the German Federal Cross of Merit and winner of the Leonard Bernstein Prize. In 2015, he was awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize as a pianist and conductor, considered the Nobel of Music.