Axel Kober (born 10 February 1970) is a German conductor. Since 2009 he has been the music director of the

Deutsche Oper am Rhein The Deutsche Oper am Rhein (German Opera on the Rhine) is an opera company based in Düsseldorf and Duisburg. The opera also has an associated classical ballet company. Axel Kober has been its Music Director since 2009. The resident orchestra, th ...

. Kober was born in

Kronach Kronach (East Franconian: ''Gronich'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, located in the Frankenwald area. It is the capital of the district Kronach. Kronach is the birthplace of Lucas Cranach the Elder and Maximilian von Welsch, as well as ...

and studied conducting under Peter Falk and Günther Wich at the

Hochschule für Musik Würzburg The Hochschule für Musik Würzburg (University of Music Würzburg) was founded in 1797 by Franz Joseph Fröhlich as Collegium musicum academicum (Academic college of music). From 1921 to 1973, it was named Bayerisches Staatskonservatorium der Mu ...

. His first professional engagement was with the

Mecklenburg State Theatre The Mecklenburg State Theatre (german: Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater Schwerin) is the principal theatre of Schwerin in Germany. Its main theatre (or ''Großes Haus'') seats 650 people and is used for the performance of plays, opera, musical th ...

in 1994. From 1998 to 2003 he was the chief conductor of the

Theater Dortmund Theater Dortmund is a theatrical organization that produces operas, musicals, ballets, plays, and concerts in Dortmund, Germany. It was founded as the Stadttheater Dortmund in 1904. Supported by the German Government, the organization owns and o ...

, where he conducted several rarely performed operas, including the German premiere of Charpentier's ''

Julien Julien may refer to: People * Julien (given name) * Julien (surname) Music * Julien (opera), ''Julien'' (opera), a 1913 poème lyrique by Gustave Charpentier * Julien (album), ''Julien'' (album), by Dalida, 1973 * Julien (song), "Julien" (so ...

''. Following a 4-year stint at the

National Theatre Mannheim The Mannheim National Theatre (german: Nationaltheater Mannheim) is a theatre and opera company in Mannheim, Germany, with a variety of performance spaces. It was founded in 1779 and is one of the oldest theatres in Germany. History In the 18 ...

(2003–2007) where he served as its chief conductor, and two years as music director of the

Leipzig Opera The Leipzig Opera (in German: ) is an opera house and opera company located at the Augustusplatz and the Inner City Ring Road at its east side in Leipzig's district Mitte, Germany. History Performances of opera in Leipzig trace back to Singspi ...

(2007–2009), he was appointed music director of the

. In 2013, the bicentenary of

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

's birth, Kober made his debut at the

Bayreuth Festival The Bayreuth Festival (german: link=no, Bayreuther Festspiele) is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived ...

conducting ''

Tannhäuser Tannhäuser (; gmh, Tanhûser), often stylized, "The Tannhäuser," was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and 1 ...

'' and conducted it again at the 2014 festival.

Bayreuther Festspiele The Bayreuth Festival (german: link=no, Bayreuther Festspiele) is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived a ...

Axel Kober
. Retrieved 5 September 2014 .

References

External links

Artist's biography
at RB Artists Management, Vienna (in English)
Video: Kober conducting the Deutsche Oper am Rhein und Duisburger Philharmoniker Orchestra

Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...

, 10 June 2012 (official YouTube channel of the

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kober, Axel German male conductors (music) Music directors (opera) 1970 births Living people People from Kronach (district) 21st-century German conductors (music) 21st-century German male musicians 20th-century German conductors (music) 20th-century German male musicians Hochschule für Musik Würzburg alumni