Gérard Korsten appointed as Principal Guest Conductor of the FSSO

Gérard Korsten, the renowned South African born conductor based in Europe as a conductor since 1996, was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Free State Symphony Orchestra in June 2018. The Board of the FSSO extended an invitation to maestro Korsten to take up this position following his acclaimed appearances with the FSSO in May 2015 and October 2017. During his last visit he indicated his appreciation for the FSSO’s role and vision, as well as his interest in being involved with the FSSO and its music-educational programme over the next several years – in particular to help mentor a new generation of young orchestral musicians in the Free State and South Africa.

In terms of his appointment, maestro Korsten will visit the Free State Symphony Orchestra to conduct at least one symphony concert (or concert series) per year. Given his expressed willingness to help with the development of the orchestra and the mentoring of a new generation of orchestral players, complementary musical mentoring activities will be arranged as opportunities arise and as possible. These could include activities such as mentoring young orchestral musicians, assisting the string principals, presenting conducting master classes, mentoring young opera singers, and so forth.
The FSSO is honoured to welcome maestro Gérard Korsten as Principal Guest Conductor, to work with him annually and to absorb the benefit of his vast experience, energy and passion for music.

Commanding a wide repertoire in both the concert hall and opera house, conductor Gérard Korsten enjoys particular renown in Mozart and other composers of the Classical era, and as an interpreter of both well-known and rarer works from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Principal Conductor of Austria’s Symphonieorchester Vorarlberg Bregenz since 2005, Gérard Korsten is also in demand as a guest conductor for appearances with theatres and orchestras in Europe, Asia, Australia and South Africa. He has served as Principal Conductor of the London Mozart Players, the South African State Theatre in Pretoria and the Uppsala Chamber Orchestra in Sweden, and from 1999 to 2005 was Music Director of the Orchestra del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari in Sardinia, where he returned in 2016 to conduct La Traviata.

Born in Pretoria, Gérard Korsten began his career as an orchestral violinist. After studies with Ivan Galamian at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia he went to Salzburg, where he trained with Sándor Végh, becoming concertmaster and then Assistant Music Director of Camerata Salzburg, of which Végh was Principal Conductor. In 1987 Korsten joined the Chamber Orchestra of Europe as its concertmaster; over his nine years with the ensemble he built close working relationships with such conductors as Claudio Abbado, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Heinz Holliger.
Since 1996 he has dedicated his career to conducting, appearing regularly with such orchestras as the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Camerata Salzburg, Adelaide Symphony, BBC Scottish Symphony, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Gavle Symphony Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Latvian National Symphony, Musikkollegium Winterthur, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Orchestra Padova e Veneto, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, SWR Sinfonieorchester Freiburg and Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra.
In the 2016/17 season he makes his debut with the Pannon Philharmonic of Pécs and returns to the Gavle Symphony Orchestra, Györ Philharmonic Orchestra, Haydn Philharmonie, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Orchestra del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, as well as Scottish and Uppsala Chamber Orchestras.
His operatic appearances to date have included: Teatro alla Scala, Milan (Le nozze di Figaro); Opéra National de Lyon (Ariadne auf Naxos, Idomeneo, La traviata, Siegfried, La Veuve joyeuse and Henze’s L’Upupa); Bregenz Festival (Simon Laks’ L’Hirondelle inattendue, Die Zauberflöte, Le Rossignol, Der Schauspieldirektor); Deutsche Oper Berlin (La traviata); English National Opera (Aida); Glyndebourne Festival (Così fan tutte, Albert Herring); Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Così fan tutte); Teatro Lirico Verdi Trieste (Don Pasquale and La Fille du régiment); Teatro Regio di Parma (La sonnambula); Netherlands Opera (Così fan tutte); Vlaamse Opera (Idomeneo); New National Theatre, Tokyo (Tosca); Royal Opera Stockholm (Don Giovanni); Hungarian State Opera (Don Pasquale) and Cape Town Opera (Le nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, Die Fledermaus, Ariadne auf Naxos, Rigoletto, Turandot, Salome, Peter Grimes).

Over his time as Music Director in Cagliari, he conducted the Italian premieres of Richard Strauss’ Die ägyptische Helena, Weber’s Euryanthe, Delius’ A Village Romeo and Juliet and Schubert’s Alfonso und Estrella, while also taking charge of such essential repertoire as Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Don Pasquale, Lucia di Lammermoor, Aida, Tosca, Carmen and Die Fledermaus.
Gérald Korsten’s Arthaus DVD of Le nozze di Figaro, recorded at La Scala with a cast led by Diana Damrau and Ildebrando d’Arcangelo, was awarded a Diapason D’Or in France and designated Critic’s Choice by US magazine Opera News. His other recordings include Tchaikovsky’s Serenade and Souvenir de Florence with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (Deutsche Grammophon), orchestral works by Crusell, Lindblad and Eggert (Naxos), La Veuve joyeuse (DVD, Erato) and a number of live recordings with the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari: Die ägyptische Helena, Euryanthe and Lucia di Lammermoor on CD (Dynamic) and, on DVD, Alfonso und Estrella (Dynamic) and Don Pasquale (Arthaus).

Gérard Korsten has two daughters and lives in both Zurich and Arezzo (Tuscany) with his wife, Italian soprano Eva Mei.