Christoph Koenig to Conduct Houston Symphony in THE MUSIC OF MAHLER AND MENDOLSSOHN, 1/31-2/3

Koenig has also been Principal Conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquesta Filarmonica de Gran Canaria. With both orchestras, he conducted a wide range of repertoire from Haydn and Mozart to Ligeti, Henze and Turnage. His reputation as an opera conductor rose swiftly after stepping in at short notice to successfully direct the Zürich Opera's 2003 production of Jonathan Miller's Die Entführung aus dem Serail. He has also led the Zurich Opera in productions of Die Zauberflöte and Il Turco in Italia with Cecilia Bartoli and Ruggero Raimondi. Other operatic productions include Die Entführung aus dem Serail at the Teatro Real in Madrid, Don Giovanni at the Staatsoper in Stuttgart and Die Zauberflöte and Rigoletto at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin.

Koenig was born in Dresden, where he sang as a boy soprano in the famous Dresdner Kreuzchor. He later studied conducting, as well as piano and voice, at the Hochschule für Musik in Dresden. Koenig also participated in masterclasses given by such renowned conductors as Sergiu Celibidache and Sir Colin Davis, who subsequently invited him to be his assistant for both concerts and opera productions with the Sächsische Staatskapelle in Dresden.

In the 2012-13 Season, the Houston Symphony is in its 99th year as one of America's leading orchestras with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring and recording activities. Under the artistic leadership of Hans Graf, the orchestra's longest serving music director, the Symphony has established a reputation for innovative, powerful performances. With its Centennial Celebration on the horizon in 2013-14, the Houston Symphony is one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas whose inaugural performance was held at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston on June 21, 1913. Today, with an annual operating budget of $28 million, the full-time ensemble of 87 professional musicians is the largest performing arts organization in Houston, presenting more than 280 concerts for 300,000 people annually. For tickets and more information, visit www.houstonsymphony.org or call 713-224-7575.

Pictured: Christoph Koenig

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