Kaspar Zehnder

Kaspar Zehnder ( born August 27, 1970 in Riggisberg ) is a Swiss conductor and flautist.

Training

Kaspar Zehnder attended high school in Bern Neufeld. He then studied at the Conservatoire (now the University of the Arts Bern ). He graduated with a concert diploma for flute ( with Heidi Indermühle ) and conducting ( under Ewald Körner ). Other teachers were Agathe Rytz - Jaggi (piano ), Peter Streiff and Arthur Furer (music theory). As important drivers of his early career, he refers to the conductor Ralf Weikert, Charles Dutoit, Werner Andreas Albert and Horst Stein and the flautist Aurèle Nicolet.

Career

First experience as a conductor with the Chamber Orchestra won Zehnder Neufeld Bern ( which had emerged from students of the Gymnasium Neufeld ), the Chamber Orchestra of Burgdorf and the Orchestra of the University of the Arts Bern ( line 1997-2006 ). The first highlight was the artistic director of the Summer Festival Murten Classics in Murten, which he took over in 1999. Appeals to foreign orchestra followed in 2002 (first permanent guest conductor of the Philharmonia in Sibiu, until 2007) and 2005 ( Chief Conductor of the Prague Chamber Philharmonic ( Pražská komorní filharmonie ) until 2008). He regularly has since appeared as a guest conductor of orchestras, especially in Eastern Europe (eg Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania), in France and in Switzerland. Since 2004-2012 Zehnder was the musical director of the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern and occurs as a flutist at the Ensemble Paul Klee today. In addition to his solo performances as a flutist, he performs regularly with the Emsemble ' four ' on. Since 2012, Zehnder represents the function has been chief conductor of the Symphony Orchestra Biel Solothurn and represents at the same time the function Director concerts.

Repertoire

The repertoire of Zehnder include orchestral works with a focus on Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonín Dvořák, Mendelssohn, Camille Saint -Saens, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Benjamin Britten, Willy Burkhard, Frank Martin and Bohuslav Martinů. For several years he has worked regularly with violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaya.

Private life

Kaspar Zehnder is the son of soprano Ursula and doctor Heinz Zehnder. He is married, has a son and lives in Bern.