Introducing Sir Donald Runnicles! More pictures & videos of our new Chief Conductor can be found here.
Sir Donald Runnicles has been Chief Conductor of the Dresdner Philharmonie since the beginning of the 2025/26 season. Internationally renowned for his interpretations of the Romantic and late-Romantic repertoire, he brings to Dresden more than 45 years of experience and a wealth of longstanding artistic partnerships with leading opera houses and orchestras around the world.
In his very first season, he made a significant artistic impact with the Dresdner Philharmonie. Highlights included a British Festival featuring works by Gustav Holst, William Walton and Sir James MacMillan, a semi-staged performance of Richard Strauss's "Elektra", and an extensive tour of Japan and South Korea.
In the 2026/27 season, Sir Donald Runnicles continues his work with the orchestra, exploring a broad symphonic repertoire. Particular emphasis is placed on works by Beethoven, Bruckner, Mahler, Sibelius and Richard Strauss. Together with internationally acclaimed soloists such as Emanuel Ax, Kirill Gerstein and Christian Gerhaher, he presents programmes that can also be heard in prestigious concert halls across Europe. A particular highlight will be the gala concert celebrating the tenth anniversary of the new concert hall at Dresden's Kulturpalast on 28 April 2027, featuring the German première of Sir James MacMillan's Sixth Symphony under his baton.
From 2009 to 2026, Sir Donald Runnicles served as General Music Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. During his 17-year tenure, he played a decisive role in shaping the company's artistic identity. Among his most significant achievements were a Strauss cycle featuring "Die Frau ohne Schatten", "Arabella" and "Intermezzo", numerous operas by Leoš Janáček and Benjamin Britten, and the world premières of Detlev Glanert's "Oceane" and Aribert Reimann's "L'Invisible". Towards the end of his tenure, he conducted new productions of Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" and Korngold's "Violanta", as well as two complete cycles of Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" in Stefan Herheim's production.
His previous leadership positions include the San Francisco Opera (1992–2008), the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (2009–2016) and the Orchestra of St. Luke's in New York (2001–2007). He also served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for more than two decades (2001–2023). He continues to hold the positions of Music Director of the Grand Teton Music Festival in Wyoming and Principal Guest Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
As a guest conductor, Sir Donald Runnicles regularly collaborates with leading orchestras and opera houses worldwide. He has conducted the Berliner Philharmoniker, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra and Orchestre de Paris, among others. He also enjoys a longstanding association with the Wiener Staatsoper, where he has conducted new productions of Wagner's "Parsifal" and Britten's "Billy Budd" and "Peter Grimes", among other works.
His extensive discography encompasses operatic and orchestral works by Wagner, Mozart, Orff, Britten, Humperdinck and many other composers. In 2013, he received a Gramophone Award for his recording of Wagner arias with Jonas Kaufmann and the orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. His recording of Janáček's "Jenůfa" was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2016.
Sir Donald Runnicles was born and raised in Edinburgh. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2004 and a Knight Bachelor in 2020. He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Edinburgh, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.