Schonwandt, Michael
Schonwandt, Michael
Schonwandt, Michael, Danish conductor; b. Copenhagen, Sept. 10, 1953. After training in musicol-ogy at the Univ. of Copenhagen (B.Mus., 1975), he studied conducting and composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London (1975–77). In 1977 he made his conducting debut in Copenhagen, and subsequently appeared as a guest conductor with various European orchs. After conducting opera at the Royal Danish Theater in 1979, he appeared as a guest conductor wit London’s Covent Garden, the Paris Opéra, and the Stuttgart Opera. In 1981 he became music director of the Collegium Musicum in Copenhagen. He was also principal guest conductor of the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels (1984–87), the Nice Opera (1987–91), and the Danish Radio Sym. Orch. in Copenhagen (from 1989). From 1992 to 1998 he was chief conductor of the Berlin Sym. Orch. In 1999 he became music director of the Royal Theater and Royal Danish Orch. in Copenhagen.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire