Cornelius Meister, born in Hannover in 1980, was appointed Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2010. Each season he directs the orchestra in Vienna’s prestigious Musikverein as well as the Konzerthaus, and in recordings and tours throughout Japan and Europe (Salzburg Festival, Berlin and Cologne Philharmonie). In December 2012, a new 24-piece CD box “my RSO” and in January 2013, the latest recordings of Bruckner’s 4th Symphony and Bartok’s “Concerto for Orchestra” were released.
In July 2012, Cornelius Meister completed an impressive seven years as Music Director of the City of Heidelberg, of both the Heidelberg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Opera House. In 2007, he was honoured by the Association of German Music Publishers for the best German concert programming of a season (in Heidelberg). He was furthermore recognized for the extensive development he achieved in the Heidelberg education programme.
Over recent seasons, Cornelius Meister has been guest conductor with major orchestras including Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester as well as Deutsches Symphonie Orchester (DSO) Berlin, NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg and Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (BR) Munich.
In the early years of his international career, Cornelius Meister appeared at many important opera houses: Aged only 21, Cornelius Meister gave his debut at the Hamburgische Staatsoper, followed by the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, New National Theatre Tokyo, San Francisco Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Theater an der Wien, Royal Opera House Copenhagen, Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Semperoper), Opernhaus Zürich and Wiener Staatsoper.
In the next couple of years, Cornelius Meister is invited to give his debuts at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden (La Bohème), and with the Orchestra e Coro dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Roma, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and National Symphony Orchestra Washington DC. He will take up reinvitations with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO) and Philharmoniker Hamburg. Furthermore, he will appear with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de Paris, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart (SWR), BBC National Orchestra of Wales as well as at the opera houses of Zurich (Salome), Riga (full Der Ring des Nibelungen cycle), Deutsche Oper Berlin (Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci) and Dresden (Salome).
Cornelius Meister studied piano and conducting at Hannover University with Konrad Meister, Martin Brauß and Eiji Oue, and at the Salzburg Mozarteum with Dennis Russell Davies, Jorge Rotter and Karl Kamper. He also plays cello and horn. As a pianist, he has given concerts in Europe and the USA. He is prize-winner of the “Deutscher Musikwettbewerb” as well as the “Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival”.
Photo: Rosa Frank