Thomas Sanderling

Thomas Sanderling, a distinguished conductor, served as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Orchestra from Summer 2017 until March 2022. Born in St. Petersburg to the eminent conductor Kurt Sanderling, he demonstrated his musical prowess early on, becoming Music Director of the Halle Opera at the age of 24.
Sanderling's career rapidly flourished, earning recognition from esteemed orchestras like the Dresden Staatskapelle, Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig, and Komische Oper Berlin in his mid-twenties. Throughout the 1980s, Sanderling solidified his standing, becoming a permanent guest conductor of the Deutsche Staatsoper. His debut at the Wiener Staatsoper conducting operas like Die Zauberflöte and Le Nozze di Figaro further added to his growing reputation. His premiere recording of Shostakovich’s Michelangelo Suite garnered attention from Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein, leading to collaborative projects.
Over the years, Sanderling has conducted renowned orchestras globally, including the Baltimore Symphony, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, The Hallé Manchester, NDR Elbphilharmonie, Oslo Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra London, Pittsburgh Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, St Petersburg Philharmonic, WDR Symphony, London Philharmonic and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, Hamburg State Opera, Mariinsky Theatre, Finnish National Opera and Teatro La Fenice. His recordings, spanning labels like DGG, BIS, and Chandos, have received numerous accolades, including OPUS KLASSIK and Cannes Classical Awards.
Thomas Sanderling's Moscow debut with the State Orchestra of Russia, invited by Evgeny Svetlanov, was a success, with Shostakovich in attendance. Impressed, Shostakovich visited Sanderling backstage inviting the young maestro to his home. There, Shostakovich entrusted him with the scores of his 13th and 14th Symphonies, assigning Sanderling the German premieres. Shostakovich requested Sanderling to handle the German text translations for these performances. Sanderling fostered a close relationship with Dmitri Shostakovich for many years and maintains a collaborative bond with Shostakovich's widow, Irina Shostakovich.
In recent years, Sanderling has delved into Weinberg's works, premiering Requiem with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and conducting successful premieres of Weinberg's opera The Idiot. His engagements and recordings continue to receive accolades, and he remains an influential figure in the classical music world.