Orchestras
Sascha Goetzel
Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra Artistic Director and Principal Conductor
Viennese born Sascha Goetzel has been Principal Conductor of the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, Finland, since June 2007, and Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra since June 2008. He holds these positions alongside those of Music and Artistic Director of the Austrian-Korean Philharmonic, and Associate Conductor of the Attergau Institute Orchestra (the training orchestra of the Vienna Philharmonic) working alongside their guest conductors (Christoph Eschenbach in 2007, Jordi Savall in 2008).
Having initially trained as a violinist, Goetzel began his career working at close quarters with many of the world's greatest conductors whilst in the ranks of the Vienna Philharmonic. He received teaching, coaching and advice from some of the most respected conductors and mentors: Zubin Mehta described him as "highly talented, musically and technically" whilst Riccardo Muti pronounced him "an enthusiastic, extraordinarily talented musician". He spent time at the prestigious Tanglewood Music Festival at the invitation of Seiji Ozawa, who described him as "a young committed musician who strives for the highest levels of musical excellence", and at the Sibelius Academy, where he received tuition from the legendary Jorma Panula, who says of him that "his unique personality and most professional attitude make him a convincing but at the same time passionate young conductor".
His Conducting Fellowship at the Tanglewood Music Festival and Rotary International Scholarship Award enabled him to extend the experience that he had gathered in his native Austria, where he had conducted the Vienna Chamber Orchestra and the Tonkünstler Orchestra in Vienna's Musikverein and Konzerthaus. He has made successful debuts with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Symphony, the Luxembourg Philharmonic, the NDR Hannover, the NHK Symphony, Nagoya, the Shanghai Symphony, the Moscow Symphony, Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Nagoya Philharmonic, the Deutsche Kammerakademie and the Basel and Helsingborg Symphony Orchestras in a wide spectrum of repertoire, including several world premieres, and with the Baltimore and Toronto symphonies conducting Viennese music.
Alongside his symphonic work, Sascha Goetzel has also substantially extended his work in the field of opera, conducting performances at the Vienna State Opera, the Vienna Volksoper, as Associate Conductor at the Los Angeles Opera (Nicholas and Alexandra) and at the Tiroler Stadttheater, Innsbruck, where he led the acclaimed new productions of the three Mozart Da Ponte operas. Soloists with whom he has collaborated include Placido Domingo, José Carreras, Anna Netrebko, José Cura, Thomas Hampson, Michael Schade, Bo Skovhus, Akiko Suwanai, Rudolf Buchbinder, Olli Mustonen, Vadim Repin and Vesselina Kasarova.
Last season began with a new production of Nutcracker at the Vienna State Opera, a concert on a highly popular Japanese classical music television programme, and concerts with the Kyushu Symphony. In February he conducted a new production of Lehár's Land of Smiles at the Vienna Volksoper, receiving unprecedented critical acclaim, and was invited by Valery Gergiev to conduct the Mariinsky Orchestra in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the legendary Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, the beginning of what promises to be an exciting on-going relationship. His appointment as Chief Conductor in Istanbul coincides with the nomination of the city as European Capital of Culture in 2010, and a great challenge for both the orchestra and its conductor.
Sascha Goetzel has made numerous television and radio broadcasts and has recorded works by Nino Rota and Max Bruch for Koch Classics. Besides his work as a conductor and violinist he is a successful music arranger for various ensembles and artists, such as José Carreras, Ramòn Vargas, the Ensemble Wien and the NTO-Orchestra. Several of his arrangements have been recorded and released by BMG and Deutsche Grammophon.
