Christian Zacharias Artistic Partner

Christian Zacharias launched his conducting career in 1992, making his debut with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and since then has been regularly invited to all renowned European orchestras. In 2000 he made his U.S. conducting debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conducted the New York Philharmonic for the first time in 2006. Since then he has returned to both orchestras several times.

Zacharias also has an intensive cooperation with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. At the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra’s annual Mozart Festival, he holds the position of Artistic Director.

In 2006, Zacharias conducted his first opera production, Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito at the Geneva Opera House. In cooperation with the Chamber Orchestra of Lausanne, he conducted Jacques Offenbach’s Opéra bouffe La Belle Hélène in December 2008.

Christian Zacharias is one of the most distinguished pianists of his generation and one of the most remarkable musical explorers of our time. Known for his consistent and uncompromising individuality, Zacharias achieved international attention as prizewinner in the Geneva Competition and the Van Cliburn Competition. In 1975, he won the First Prize in the Ravel Competition in Paris and began an international career including recitals in all the major international venues, and award-winning recordings and concerts with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors. Zacharias also appears in chamber music recitals with partners such as the Alban Berg Quartet, the Leipziger String Quartet, Heinrich Schiff and Frank Peter Zimmermann.

Zacharias recorded on the EMI label through 1997 and since then he has had a recording contract with Dabringhaus and Grimm. Among his recordings are numerous award winners, such as his CD with fantasies, rondos and other Mozart piano works, which has been decorated with the Diapason d’Or.  He has produced several recordings of works by Mozart, Schumann, Chopin and Johann Michael Haydn with the Chamber Orchestra of Lausanne. Volume III of Mozart’s piano concertos, also recorded with the Chamber Orchestra of Lausanne, has been awarded the ECHO Klassik 2008. Volume IV of this series was decorated with the Diapason d’Or as well as with the Choc du Monde de la Musique.

Zacharias regularly takes part in radio broadcasts and the production of documentary films including “Domenico Scarlatti in Seville,” “Robert Schumann – the poet speaks” (both for INA, Paris), “Between stage and greenroom” (for WDR-arte) and “Zacharias, Scarlatti, Avison et les autres…” (TSR). In January 2007, Christian Zacharias was awarded the Midem Classical Award for Artist of the Year in Cannes.