Constantin Trinks

Constantin Trinks studied conducting at the conservatory in his native Karlsruhe, Germany. Strongly influenced by Christian Thielemann, for whom he worked as assistant in Bayreuth, his approach combines important insights into historically informed performance practice as well as a strong romantic line.

Trinks joined the Saarländisches Staatstheater in 2002, serving as interim music director from 2006 to 2009. Deeply rooted in the German Kapellmeister tradition, he embraces a wide-ranging repertory which has included Nono's Intolleranza 1960, La Bohème, Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte, Das Rheingold, Lohengrin, Salome, Carmen, Don Carlo, La Traviata, Cavalleria rusticana, I pagliacci, Kullervo (Sallinen) and the European première of The First Emperor by Tan Dun. In 2009 Trinks was appointed Music Director at the Staatstheater Darmstadt, conducting his first Ring cycle, followed by Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Parsifal, Fidelio, Aida as well as the world première of Orff's early work Gisei (available on DVD) in combination with De temporum fine comoedia.

A well-respected Wagner conductor, he celebrated the Wagner Bicentenary with Der fliegende Holländer in Dresden, Tannhäuser in Tokyo, Strasbourg, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Frankfurt, as well as Das Liebesverbot at the Bayreuth Festival. He is one of the few conductors to have staged productions of Wagner’s entire theatrical output. He is also a refined symphonist, and this season makes his debut with the Münchner Philharmoniker followed by concerts with Bremen Philharmonic, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Barcelona Symphony, Malaysia Philharmonic and the HK Phil.