François-Xavier Roth

François-Xavier Roth is one of today's most imaginative conductors. In Cologne, where he has led both the Gürzenich Orchestra and the Opera since 2015, his programming is characterised by being remarkably broad in scope, with new commissions alongside Baroque and Romantic music. For the Cologne Opera he led new productions of Benvenuto Cellini, Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Tannhäuser, Tristan und Isolde, Die Soldaten and Salome. In 2003, the French conductor founded the orchestra Les Siècles, which presents adventurous programmes on both modern and authentic instruments.

Roth is a champion of new music and has premiered works by Georg-Friedrich Haas and Hèctor Parra, among others. He also has a leading role in the London Symphony Orchestra Panufnik Composers Scheme, where young, emerging composers are mentored. Since 2017, he has been first guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and, besides that, he regularly appears as guest conductor for various European, American and Japanese orchestras. He has previously worked with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, but is making his debut with Dutch National Opera with Die ersten Menschen.