Jonathan Stockhammer
To do justice to the broad spectrum of musical work and cross-genre curiosity of Jonathan Stockhammer, one must avoid categorization. The conductor, born in Los Angeles, is a musical boundary-crosser, passionately engaging with both so-called classical and contemporary repertory. Understanding and appreciating music in its universality is the driving force behind his work. Great music, for him, is not confined to a specific genre. He cherishes opera, classical ballet, and modern dance theatre as much as experimental premieres or unconventional concert formats that break free from entrenched structures in favor of new listening experiences. His talent for explaining music and considering the audience not only as a sounding board but as a dialogue partner makes music newly comprehensible and enjoyable.
The list of renowned orchestras and ensembles he has collaborated with is extensive, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg, hr-Sinfonieorchester, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and the Czech Philharmonic, to name just a few. He is a regular guest at the Opéra de Lyon and the Zurich Opera House, has premiered two operas with the Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, and has conducted the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Orchestra of the New York City Opera, the Vienna State Opera, the Theater Basel, and the Komische Oper Berlin, among others. The Staatsballett Berlin, the Theater Basel/Sinfonieorchester Basel, the Ensemble Modern, the Dresdner Philharmonie, the Essener Philharmoniker, the SWR Symphony Orchestra, and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin value the sometimes long-standing collaborations and dialogic partnerships.
Awards such as the «Echo Klassik» for a recording of works by Frank Zappa with the Ensemble Modern and the «Grammy» for a live recording with Chick Corea, Gary Burton, and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra bear witness to it: Jonathan Stockhammer is a passionate boundary-crosser in the world of music who, fortunately, cannot be confined to a single category.