Maestro
An accomplished maestro propelling between Europe, America and Asia — celebrated for the dark and warm sound of his orchestras, rooted in the great German tradition.
About
Born in the musical city of Dresden, Maestro Michael Koehler began his career as a solo pianist before studying sound engineering and orchestra conducting in Berlin at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler". He continued his studies with Maestro Sergiu Celibidache in Munich and at the Schola Cantorum in Paris, with masterclasses alongside Kurt Masur, Gerd Albrecht and Rolf Reuter.
Since 2000 he has presented brilliant concerts as Artistic and Music Director of the Leipzig Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2019 he was appointed General Music Director of the Shanxi Symphony Orchestra in Taiyuan, China, and in 2022 led an acclaimed performance of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10 at the National Music Festival of the USA.
Beyond the podium, Dr. Koehler dedicates a part of his life to teaching — heading the orchestra at the University of Music and Drama Leipzig "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" and serving as professor at Shanxi University.
What I do
Germany
An ensemble celebrated for the warm, dark sound rooted in the German symphonic tradition, performing repertoire from the Baroque to the modern era on tour across the USA, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, Russia, China, Korea, India and beyond.
Read more about Leipzig Philharmonic OrchestraChina
One of the earliest professional symphony orchestras in modern China, collaborating closely with leading composers and bringing major Chinese symphonic works to international audiences. Michael Koehler has served as General Music Director.
Read more about Shanxi Symphony Orchestra
GERMANY — FELIX MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY UNIVERSITY
The oldest university school of music in Germany, founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn — dedicated to forming thinking, complete musicians at the highest international level. Michael Koehler has 28 years of experience teaching orchestral conducting.
India
An international ensemble of musicians from 35 countries performing Western classical and West-Eastern fusion repertoire — guided by the principles of "Love All - Serve All, Help Ever - Hurt never".
Read more about Sai Symphony Orchestra
Words
A renowned conductor who has achieved excellent results with the New York Philharmonic and the Leipzig Music University Orchestra.
Career
Nominated for OPUS KLASSIK shortlist — Germany's most prestigious classical music prize.
Debut at Musikverein Wien - Goldener Saal
Nominated for OPUS KLASSIK — Germany's most prestigious classical music prize.
Appointed General Music Director of the Shanxi Symphony Orchestra, Taiyuan.
CMA in Beijing: Chinese Music Award / known as Chinese Grammy
Appointed Professor at Shanxi University, Taiyuan.
Debut at the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Hall, Russia.
Debut at Carnegie Hall, New York City. Appointed Professor at University at Seoul / South Korea
GIMA Award in India for the Best Fusion Album at the GLOBAL INDIAN MUSIC AWARDS
Founded the Leipzig Philharmonic Orchestra.
Debut in China — with Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra in Chengdu.
Doctor Philosophiae conferred by the Humboldt University of Berlin. Founded the Leipzig KammerPhilharmonie Orchestra.
Began conducting and teaching at the University of Music and Drama "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig.
Debut at Berlin Philharmonie.
About Michael Koehler
Maestro Michael Koehler was born in the musical city of Dresden, Germany. After spending his early years in Dresden as solo pianist, he studied sound engineering and orchestra conducting in Berlin. After his graduation from the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin (class of GMD Prof. Rolf Reuter, Berlin State Opera) he continued his studies with Maestro Sergiu Celibidache in Munich and at the Schola Cantorum in Paris. He participated in master-classes with Kurt Masur, Gerd Albrecht, Rolf Reuter and at the Yehudi-Menuhin-Academy, Gstaad among others.
Radio and TV like ARD, ZDF, RTL, RAI, Russian TV 1, CCTV, Indian National TV have covered his activities. He has conducted numerous orchestras across Europe, Asia and America (USA, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Russia, China, South Korea, India, Brasil, Mexico, Colombia and Latin America). His music was released by Sony Music, Naxos, Kuke and Sommo.
Michael Koehler has presented brilliant concerts as Artistic and Music Director of the Leipzig Philharmonic Orchestra since 2000. In 2008 he was chosen as Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Leipzig Symphony Orchestra, and appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Festival Internazionale della Cultura in Bergamo, Italy. In 2010 he was appointed conductor and professor at SMU University in Seoul, Korea. In 2019 he was appointed General Music Director of the Shanxi Symphony Orchestra in Taiyuan, China. In 2022, he appeared at the National Music Festival of the USA conducting a brilliant performance of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10.
He regularly accompanies renowned soloists of the Berlin Philharmonic, Berlin Staatskapelle and Leipzig Gewandhaus (Guy Braunstein, Lothar Strauß, Christian Funke and Michael Barenboim). Recent recordings are released by Sony Music. He frequently conducts great operas — Carmen, The Abduction from the Seraglio, L´elisir d´amore, La Traviata, Il Trovatore, Turandot, Madame Butterfly, Tosca, The Bat, and The Merry Widow — in Spain, South Korea, China, Hongkong and Mexico.
In addition to his performing career, he dedicates a part of his time to teaching. Since 1998, he has been working at the Leipzig University of Music and Drama "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" as Head of the Orchestra, Orchestra Conductor and teacher. He wrote his thesis in musicology at the Humboldt University of Berlin and was conferred the title of Doctor Philosophiae in 2000. In 2017 he was appointed professor at Shanxi University in Taiyuan, China. In 2022 he was nominated for OPUS KLASSIK — the most prestigious prize for classical music in Germany.
His activities have been supported by grants from the German Federal President, the Federal Government Minister for Culture and the Media, the German Music Council, the German Federal Cultural Foundation, the Cultural Foundation of Saxony, the City of Leipzig and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.
Contact
For concert engagements, operas, masterclasses, recordings and press inquiries — please reach out through the management office.
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