Michael Sanderling

Since the 2021/22 season, Michael Sanderling has served as the Chief Conductor of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra. This appointment marked the logical continuation of a long-standing, close partnership aimed at further establishing the orchestra’s international reputation in the late Romantic repertoire — particularly with works by Bruckner, Mahler, and Strauss. Tours throughout Europe, Asia, and South America, as well as innovative projects, attest to the impact of this collaboration. Particular attention was drawn to the multimedia production of Shostakovich’s Symphony no. 10 featuring artist William Kentridge, which, following its premiere at the KKL Lucerne and in Pompeii, enjoyed triumphant performances at the Vienna Konzerthaus and the Philharmonie de Paris.

Sanderling’s discography with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, including a celebrated Brahms cycle on Warner Classics as well as the recording of the piano concertos by Antonín Dvořák and Edvard Grieg with Elisabeth Leonskaja, documents the sonic depth of this era.

Michael Sanderling’s path to the conductor’s podium was shaped by a deep understanding of orchestral sound. Following a distinguished career as a cello soloist with ensembles including the Orchestre de Paris, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, he served as principal cellist of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under Kurt Masur from 1987 to 1992 and laid the foundation for his career as a conductor through his tenure as artistic director of the Kammerakademie Potsdam (2006–2011). 

From 2011 to 2019, he led the Dresden Philharmonic into a new era as its chief conductor and established the orchestra among Germany’s top-tier ensembles. A lasting monument to this period is the highly acclaimed complete recording of the symphonies of Beethoven and Shostakovich for Sony Classical. In addition to the great symphonies, his discography includes significant concert recordings with soloists such as Edgar Moreau and Katrin Scholz, as well as collaborations with the Rundfunkchor Berlin.

He has also set new standards on the opera stage: for his production of Prokofiev’s War and Peace at the Cologne Opera, the magazine “Opernwelt” named him Conductor of the Year 2011.

Today he is a guest conductor with renowned orchestras worldwide, including the Berliner  Philharmoniker, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Wiener Symphoniker, the Orchestre de Paris, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra London, and the NHK Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to the big stage, Sanderling devotes himself with passionate intensity to the next generation. For many years, he has taught at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (HfMDK). His longstanding commitment to ensembles such as the Deutsche Streicherphilharmonie, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, and the German National Youth Orchestra underscores his belief that musical excellence and the passing on of experience are inseparably linked.