Behind the

scenes

Fanfare in Los Angeles

October 15, 2026
Update

It isn’t every year that my season opens with a debut in one of the world’s great musical cities, and this one began in extraordinary fashion with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the stunning Walt Disney Concert Hall. Launching the Philharmonic’s subscription season with Copland’s Third Symphony – the...

New Horizon

September 10, 2026
Article, Latest Update

I’m thrilled to share that The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra has extended my contract as Music Director for four more years, ushering us into the orchestra’s 100th anniversary season. From the moment I arrived in Charlotte, I felt welcomed in a way that was immediate and genuine. The musicians...

Music with a view

May 24, 2026
Update

Two weeks before the end of the winter season, CSO’s Music with a View development event was hosted by the Bank of America on the top floor of its Uptown Charlotte tower building. This happened to be the first donor reception since I won my Grammy and the...

Home Stretch via New York

April 13, 2026
Update

It’s been quite a while since my last post, a couple of months having passed since all the Grammy drama! Since then I’ve done two subscription series with my orchestra in Charlotte separated by a desperately needed “study break” back home in Germany. I always knew this season...

MY JOURNEY TO THE GRAMMYS

February 4, 2026
Article

Axios Charlotte interviewed me at Los Angeles International Airport on the way back from the 68th Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony, an event I attended despite the extreme snowstorm Charlotte, North Carolina had seen in over 20 years. I won my first Grammy at that ceremony, but almost missed...

Charlotte Pride

January 11, 2026
Interview

John Burton Jr., a feature writer for Pride Magazine – Charlotte’s premier African-American publication – kindly invited me to interview for their January – February Men’s Issue which I gladly agreed to, squeezing it in between staging rehearsals for Porgy and Bess at the Met. As that production...

Celebrating 2025

December 26, 2025
Update

Sitting at JFK International waiting to board a flight to Trinidad for the Xmas holidays, I’m filled with gratitude for a 2025 that has surpassed every anticipation I had at its outset in Amsterdam twelve months ago. Four successful operatic productions, an energetic and auspicious inaugural season with...