Stephan Zilias appointed new music director of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

Stephan Zilias has been General Music Director of the Hanover State Opera since 2020. That contract expired last year but was extended for the current season. He has built up a strong artistic profile there with productions that encompass both the great Romantic repertoire and contemporary creations. His musical direction of Lohengrin, Rosenkavalier, Parsifal, Lear, La Juive, Greek Passion, Carmen, Otello, The Turn of the Screw, Mefistofele, Rusalka and Der Vampyr, among others, has been praised for its musical clarity and dramatic depth. Under his leadership, the Staatsoper orchestra has strengthened its reputation as one of the most versatile ensembles in the German-speaking opera landscape. In 2021, the Staatsoper Hannover won the OPER! award for Best Opera House of the Year, but under his leadership, the house also received regular nominations in Opernwelt magazine.

He has a good relationship with the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he was Kapellmeister and assistant to Sir Donald Runnicles. In recent seasons, he has conducted Fidelio, Madama Butterfly, Oceane by Detlev Glanert and an acclaimed Antikrist by Rued Langgaard, directed by Ersan Mondtag.

Other guest appearances include the Leipzig Opera, the Prague State Opera, the Savonlinna Festival in Finland and the Theater an der Wien, where he is currently preparing the Austrian premiere of Unsuk Chin's Alice in Wonderland.

He is also at home on the concert stage: his repertoire includes Schumann, Dutilleux, Haydn and world premieres of contemporary works. He is regularly invited by the Staatsorchester Nürnberg, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Zürcher Kammerorchester, Berner Symphonieorchester, Bremer Philharmoniker, Orchestre Symphonique de Mulhouse, Beethoven Orchester Bonn and the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra of the Netherlands.

Zilias studied piano and orchestral conducting in Cologne, Düsseldorf and London, where he is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.

Stephan Zilias previously guest conducted Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, in a production by Christoph Marthaler. It was a daring production that received much praise for its music both at home and abroad.

With this appointment, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen is signalling its ambition to further deepen the artistic development of its orchestra and strengthen the dialogue between tradition and innovation.

‘I have very fond memories of Der Freischütz, where I immediately felt a strong connection with the spirit and atmosphere of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen,’ says Stephan Zilias. ‘I have always admired the great artistic openness and clear vision with which the company keeps opera and ballet relevant, lively and exciting. Together with the orchestra, the choir, the singers and the entire team, we will continue to explore new musical perspectives – a wonderful task that I am very much looking forward to.’

‘In Stephan Zilias, we welcome a conductor with international experience, a broad musical vision and a great sense of adventure,’ says Jan Vandenhouwe, artistic director of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen. ‘His musicality, openness and ability to combine tradition with innovation fit perfectly with the artistic direction of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen.’

Zilias will remain with the Staatsoper Hannover until August and will take up his position at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen in September.