Gérard Korsten

Born in South Africa, Gérard Korsten began his career as a violinist. Following his studies in the US and Europe he became Concertmaster and Assistant Music Director of the Camerata Salzburg and later Concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe from 1987 to 1996 when he left the COE to concentrate on conducting. Gérard Korsten is currently Music Director of the London Mozart Players and Principal Conductor of the Symphonieorchester Vorarlberg Bregenz.

He held positions of Principal Conductor of the State Theatre in Pretoria and the Uppsala Chamber Orchestra before becoming Music Director of the Orchestra del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari in Italy from 1999 to 2005. In Cagliari he conducted the first Italian performances of Richard Strauss’ Die ägyptische Helena, Weber’s Euryanthe, Delius’ A Village Romeo and Juliet and Schubert’s Alfonso und Estrella, as well as the productions of the core operatic repertoire including The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, Carmen, Die Fledermaus, Tosca and Aïda.

Korsten has appeared in the most notable opera houses and concert halls around Europe including La Scala, Maggio Musicale Florence, Teatro Reggio di Parma, Teatro Lirico Verdi Trieste, Opéra national de Lyon, Royal Swedish Opera, Netherlands Opera, English National Opera and Glyndebourne Festival Opera.

His past symphonic engagements have included concerts with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lyon, Salzburg Mozarteum, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Swedish Radio Symphony and Melbourne Symphony orchestras.

He has recorded Tchaikovsky’s Serenade and Souvenir de Florence on Deutsche Grammophon, Die ägyptische Helena, Euryanthe and Alfonso und Estrella on CD and DVD, as well as a DVD recording of Don Pasquale. His 2011 DVD of Le Nozze di Figaro (La Scala 2006) has been awarded a Diapason D’Or.

Highlights of the 2011/12 season see him touring to eight venues in the US with Irish Chamber Orchestra, conducting Opéra National de Lyon and touring to Spain with the London Mozart Players. Future engagements include returning to the Budapest Festival Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg and the BBCSSO.