Biography

Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård is the Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Between 2012 and 2018, he served as Principal Conductor of BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBCNOW), after stepping down as Principal Conductor and Musical Advisor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra.

He has appeared with many notable orchestras in Europe, such as Berliner Philharmoniker, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Bayerische Staatsoper; Akademiekonzert series, Bamberger Symphoniker, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks.

London Symphony, London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra and City of Birmingham, Orchestre National de France, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique Du Luxembourg and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

He is also a familiar figure in Scandinavia, with such orchestras as Oslo Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony, Danish National Symphony, Royal Danish Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony and Helsinki Philharmonic.

Following his acclaimed debut for Royal Danish Opera (Poul Ruders : Kafka’s Trial), he has since returned regularly to conduct a broad repertoire, ranging from contemporary to Die Walküre, Elektra, Le nozze di Figaro, Il barbiere di Siviglia, La Bohème, Cunning little vixen and Il viaggio a Reims.

His Stockholm productions of Tosca and Turandot (both with Nina Stemme) led to his Bayerische Staatsoper debut, conducting main season and Opera Festival performances of Turandot with her. At Staatsoper Stuttgart he has conducted Tosca and Luisa Miller. He made his Deutsche Oper Berlin debut with the World premiere of Scartazzini’s Edward II and has since returned for Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet.

Overseas appearances to date have included the symphony orchestras of New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Baltimore, St Louis, Minnesota, Atlanta, Houston and Seattle, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, as well as Sydney Symphony and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

He has also made highly successful tours to China, Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Highlights this season for Thomas with the Minnesota Orchestra include a diverse range of programmes leading the Nordic Composers Festival, concert performances of Puccini's Turandot, and projects with leading soloists such as Yunchan Lim, Isabelle Faust, Julia Bullock and Bruce Liu. With Royal Scottish National Orchestra he will perform Mahler's epic Symphony No. 2 and close the season with a celebration of the music of Dmitri Shostakovich.

This is not to mention his debut with Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as returns to Deutsche Oper Berlin (Elektra), Den Norske Opera (Peer Gynt), and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Thomas will also lead a project with the Aarhus Symfoniorkester celebrating the 750th anniversary of the city of Holstebro - his home town.

In January 2022, Thomas was decorated with a Royal Order of Chivalry – the Order of Dannebrog (Ridder af Dannebrogordenen) by Her Majesty Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark.

And in January 2023 he received the Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl Nielsen Foundation Honorary Award as recognition for his outstanding contribution to Danish musical life and as a support to continue his distinguished development as a conductor.