Directeur Musical Orchestre symphonique de Québec

Hailed by the press as one of the most exciting conductors emerging from Germany today, Clemens Schuldt is currently Music Director of the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, a position he assumed in the 2023/24 season. He is widely praised for his innovative interpretations and his deep understanding of music. Schuldt’s knowledge, particularly of classical and romantic repertoire, as well as his creativity to include lesser-known and contemporary works in his programmes are widely acclaimed.

During his inaugural year with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Clemens Schuldt has worked with some of the world’s most renowned soloists, such as Augustin Hadelich, Fazil Say, Simon Trpčeski, and Noa Wildschut. His interpretations of Britten’s ‘Sinfonia da Requiem’, Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, Strauss’ ‘Death & Transfiguration’, and Rachmaninov’s ‘Symphonic Dances’ were praised by audiences and the press alike; masterpieces that Clemens Schuldt adeptly combines with rarely performed works by composers, such as Jacques Hétu, Anna Clyne, or Keiko Devaux.

In the 2024/25 season, Clemens Schuldt will further expand his presence in Canada by conducting the closing concert of the Festival Bach Montreal. Other highlights include returns to the BBC Philharmonic, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra as well as Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

Clemens Schuldt has previously appeared with leading orchestras such as the Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Staatskapelle Weimar, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, SWR Symphonieorchester, Bamberger Symphoniker, and ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien. Furthermore, he has been guest conductor with Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. Outside Europe, Clemens Schuldt has worked with the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic, City of Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, Xi’an Symphony, and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

Soloists with whom he enjoys working include Khatia Buniatishvili, Colin Currie, Alexandra Dariescu, Vilde Frang, Ilya Gringolts, Håkan Hardenberger, Steven Isserlis, Igor Levit, Baiba Skride, Kian Soltani, Arabella Steinbacher, Christian Tetzlaff, Daniil Trifonov, Alisa Weilerstein, and Frank-Peter Zimmermann.

In addition to symphonic works, Clemens Schuldt devotes himself intensively to opera. In the 2023-24 season, he made his debut at Opera North conducting Mozart's ‘Così fan tutte’. In 2022/23, he led a highly-praised new production of Mozart's ‘Mitridate, re di Ponto’ together with The English Concert at Garsington Opera, as well as the revival of Mozart's ‘Die Zauberflöte’ at Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe. Schuldt spent two years as Conductor in Residence at Staatstheater Mainz, where he led new productions of Bellini's ‘Norma’, Gluck's ‘Armide’, Gounod's ‘Faust’, Verdi's ‘Rigoletto’, as well as Wagner's ‘Der fliegende Holländer’. In 2019, he made his acclaimed debut at the Venice Biennale conducting George Benjamin's opera ‘Written on Skin’ with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI.

Clemens Schuldt is a former winner of the prestigious Donatella Flick Conducting Competition in London and was Assistant Conductor of London Symphony Orchestra for one year. Born in Bremen, he first studied violin and performed with the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. He then completed his conducting studies in Düsseldorf, Vienna, and Weimar.

SEASON 2024/2025