Kirill Petrenko
Kirill Petrenko has been Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Berliner Philharmoniker since the 2019-2020 season. Born in Omsk (Siberia), he received his training first in his home town and later in Austria. He established his conducting career in with positions at the Meininger Theater and the Komische Oper Berlin.
From 2013 to 2020, Petrenko was general Music Director of Bayerische Staatsoper. He has also made guest appearances at the world’s leading houses. Moreover, he has conducted the major international symphony orchestras – in Vienna, Munich, Dresden, Paris, Amsterdam, London, Rome, Chicago, Cleveland and Israel.
Since his debut in 2006, a variety of programmatic themes have emerged in his work together with the Berliner Philharmoniker. These include work on the orchestra’s core Classical-Romantic repertoire. Unjustly forgotten composers are another of Petrenko’s interests.
In opera performances with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Richard Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten and Elektra have recently attracted attention.