Joana Mallwitz will remain chief conductor and artistic director of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin through the end of the 2032/33 season after agreeing to a five-year contract extension.
The German conductor, who took up the post at the start of the 2023/24 season, first worked with the orchestra during the 2020/21 season. Her appointment made her the first woman to lead the Konzerthausorchester and the first woman to head one of Berlin’s major orchestras.
The extension provides continuity for a partnership that has included concert performances, recording projects and international touring. During her first season, Mallwitz and the orchestra recorded works by Kurt Weill for Deutsche Grammophon, where she is an exclusive artist.
Born in Hildesheim in 1986, Mallwitz first gained international attention with her acclaimed 2020 Salzburg Festival debut conducting Così fan tutte. She previously served as General Music Director of the Staatstheater Nürnberg and was named Germany’s “Conductor of the Year” in 2019.
Alongside her work in Berlin, Mallwitz has conducted at leading opera houses including the Royal Opera House, Bayerische Staatsoper and De Nationale Opera, while guest appearances with major orchestras have included the Berliner Philharmoniker, Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.
The renewed agreement secures Mallwitz’s leadership of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin for another five seasons, extending her tenure through 2033.
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