Christian Thielemann has been principal conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden since the 2012/13 season. After positions at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Gelsenkirchen, Karlsruhe, Hanover and Dusseldorf, he came to Nuremberg in 1988 as general music director. In 1997 he returned to his home city of Berlin as general music director of Deutsche Oper Berlin, before taking the same position from 2004-2011 with the Munich Philharmonic. Besides his position in Dresden, he has been artistic director since 2013 of the Salzburg Easter Festival, where the Staatskapelle is the resident orchestra. Christian Thielemann has concentrated intensively in recent seasons on Wagner and Strauss, both celebrating their jubilee years. However, his programmes in Dresden and on tour have included works from Bach to Henze, Rihm and Gubaidulina. He recently conducted new productions at the Semperoper of »Der Freischütz« and »Ariadne auf Naxos«. At the Salzburg Easter Festival he conducted »Die Walküre«, »Tosca« and »The Mastersingers of Nuremberg«, among other works. Christian Thielemann has a close relationship with the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic, where he conducted the 2019 New Year’s Concert. After five years as musical adviser, he was appointed music director of the Bayreuth Festival in 2015, after annual appearances with exemplary interpretations since his début in 2000. He also accepted invitations from the major orchestras in Europe, the USA, Israel and Asia. Christian Thielemann has an extensive discography as a UNITEL exclusive artist. His latest recordings with the Staatskapelle include the symphonies of Johannes Brahms, Anton Bruckner and Robert Schumann, as well as numerous operas. Christian Thielemann is an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music in London, and holds honorary doctorates at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar and KU Leuven. In May 2015 he was awarded the Richard Wagner Prize by the Richard-Wagner-Stiftung Leipzig, and in October 2016 he received the Semperoper Foundation Prize. Christian Thielemann is the patron of the Richard-Wagner-Stätten Graupa and the patron of the 49th International Youth Competition »jugend creativ« of the Volksbank and Raiffeisenbank cooperative banks. In 2019 he became an Honorary Member of the Gustav Mahler Vereinigung, Hamburg. He has received numerous awards for his recordings.