From associate conductor in Amsterdam to leadership in Bochum
At a moment when major orchestras are rethinking how they identify and support emerging conductors, Aurel Dawidiuk has taken on a role that reflects this shift. He is the first associate conductor in the history of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, a position created to integrate a young musician into the institution’s artistic and educational structures over several seasons rather than through occasional guest appearances.
During the 2024–25 and 2025–26 seasons, Dawidiuk collaborates with the Concertgebouw Orchestra on roughly half of its concert programmes. His work includes assisting principal guest conductors in Amsterdam and on tour, rehearsing smaller ensemble formations with orchestra musicians, and contributing to the orchestra’s talent development activities. In April 2026, he will conduct two subscription concerts, marking a public culmination of his tenure in the role. The associate conductorship, named in honour of Bernard Haitink, was made possible through a donation by the Haitink family.
Alongside this position, Dawidiuk has been appointed General Music Director designate of the Bochumer Symphoniker, a role he will assume from the 2026–27 season. The appointment places him in charge of long-term artistic planning and repertoire decisions at a German orchestra, signalling an early transition from assistant and guest engagements to institutional leadership.
Born in Hanover in 2000, Dawidiuk has developed a profile that combines conducting with sustained work as a pianist and organist. This dual background has shaped his training and early career, including his participation in competitions and projects centred on conducting from the piano, a practice that draws on historical models associated with figures such as Hans von Bülow. In 2023, he received first prize in that category at the International Hans von Bülow Competition in Meiningen, alongside additional awards.
His formal studies took place at the Zurich University of the Arts, where he studied orchestral conducting with Johannes Schlaefli and Christoph-Mathias Mueller, while continuing piano studies with Till Fellner. In parallel, he pursued organ studies with Martin Sander at the Basel Music Academy. This combination of disciplines remains a defining element of his professional activity, extending beyond the podium to recital appearances as a keyboard player.
Dawidiuk’s career has also followed established German support structures for young musicians. He was admitted to the Forum Dirigieren of the German Music Council in 2021 and won the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb in the organ category in 2022, a prize that had not been awarded in that discipline since 2001. Further recognition has come through competitions and prizes in both conducting and keyboard performance, which have facilitated engagements with orchestras and venues across Germany and abroad.
As a recording artist, Dawidiuk has released two albums on the GENUIN label. His most recent recording, B-A-C-H; Hommage à… (2023), produced in collaboration with Deutschlandfunk Kultur and the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb, focuses on organ repertoire, while an earlier release paired works by Liszt and Bach for the piano.
With upcoming subscription concerts in Amsterdam and the start of his tenure in Bochum on the horizon, Dawidiuk’s career reflects a pathway increasingly shaped by institutional continuity rather than rapid circulation. His current positions suggest an emphasis on long-term collaboration and structural responsibility, at a time when orchestras are placing renewed focus on how young conductors are integrated into their artistic ecosystems.
Where to find Aurel DawidiukOfficial website
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