Christoph Eschenbach

Universally acclaimed as both a conductor and pianist, Christoph Eschenbach firmly belongs to the European intellectual line of musical tradition. Renowned for the breadth of his repertoire and the depth of his interpretations, he has held directorships with many leading orchestras and gained the highest musical honours. Born in German occupied Breslau in 1940, Christoph Eschenbach was a war orphan, raised in the north of Germany by his mother’s cousin, the pianist Wallydore Eschenbach. Her lessons laid the foundation for his illustrious musical career. Following piano studies with Eliza Hansen and conducting with Wilhelm Brückner-Rüggeberg, he won notable piano awards – such as the ARD InternationalMusic Competition 1962 in Munich and the Concours International de Piano ‘Clara Haskil’ 1965 – which helped to pave the way for his growing international fame.

Supported by mentors such as George Szell and Herbert von Karajan, the focus of Christoph Eschenbach’s career moved to conducting: he was Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Tonhalle Orchestra, Zurich, from 1982 to 1986, Music Director of Houston Symphony from 1988 to 1999, Artistic Director of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival from 1999 to 2002, Music Director of the NDR Symphony Orchestra from 1998 to 2004, Philadelphia Orchestra from 2003 to 2008 and the Orchestre de Paris from 2000 to 2010. From 2010 to 2017, Eschenbach held the position of Music Director of the Washington National Symphony Orchestra. From 2019 to 2023, he was Music Director of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Since September 2024, he has been Artistic Director at the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic in the now Polish city of his birth.

In addition, Christoph Eschenbach has worked with major orchestras such as the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, Milan, London Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo, and many others. Over the course of seven decades, Christoph Eschenbach has built an impressive discography of over 100 recordings, both as a conductor and a pianist, with a repertoire ranging from J. S. Bach to contemporary music. Many of his recordings have gained benchmark status and have received numerous awards, including the German Record Critics’ Award, MIDEM Classical Award and a Grammy Award.

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