Gerd Schaller

Gerd Schaller was born in Bamberg in 1965. He studied music at the Würzburg University of Music and medicine at the University of Erlangen/Nuremberg. His musical career began at the Staatsoper Hannover. In 1998, he became principal conductor of the Staatstheater Braunschweig. From 2003 to 2006, he was general music director in Magdeburg.

In the field of opera, Schaller has celebrated considerable successes in the German and Italian repertoire. He has an excellent name especially with the works of Richard Wagner, Richard Strauss and Giuseppe Verdi.

Gerd Schaller actively furthers the music of lesser known composers. The rediscovery of seldom performed operas represents a further focal point of his activities.

In his concerts, he cultivates a broad range of music, increasingly concentrating on German repertoire. The symphonic works of Mahler, Bruckner, Brahms, Beethoven and Strauss are the backbone of these concerts, along with a special interest in performing contemporary music. Gerd Schaller has given numerous first performances, also at unusual places, on his concert programmes.

He has received excellent critical reviews for his interpretations of late romantic music and the moderns of the 20th century. He is a welcome guest conductor, working together with a number of well known national and international orchestras. His many recordings for broadcast document his stylistic versatility.