Born in Wilhelmshaven in Lower Saxony, Germany in 1958, Thomas Hengelbrock is regarded as one of the greatest classical conductors of his generation, imaginatively exploring a wide variety of different musical styles ranging from 17th century music to contemporary works. An outstanding violinist, he also established his reputation as a conductor with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra. He also founded the Balthasar-Neumann Chor and established the Balthasar-Neumann Ensemble, acclaimed for their imaginative interpretations of the classics.
He originally studied violin with Rainer Kussmaul and began his professional career working with Witold Lutoslawski, Mauricio Kagel and Antal Doráti while playing with ensembles such as the Concentus Musicus Wien. He made his debut as an opera conductor at the Vienna Festival in 1993 with Gluck's 'Alceste' after which music critics named him conductor of the year following a performance of Mozart's 'Don Giovanni' at Bonn Opera House.
His subsequent operatic productions encompassed Purcell, Bartok and Scarlatti and in 1995 he was elected artistic director at the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie. He became artistic director of Volksoper Wien, founded the Feldkirch Festival, became chief conductor at the NDR Symphony Orchestra and in 2013 caused something of a sensation with a series of concerts with the Balthasar-Neumann Ensemble performing Wagner's 'Parsifal'. A visionary, he also worked with actors devising musical, theatrical and literary programmes to enhance his reputation even further.
He continued to break down barriers in 2017 with the opening the new Hamburg Elbphilharmonie with a performance by the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and performed all over the world, while recording an album of Brahms' 3rd and 4th symphonies with the Elbphilharmonie, adding to his impressive recording catalogue that includes bold interpretations of works by Mendelssohn, Schumann, Dvorák, Schubert and Mahler.
