official biography

“It was a sensational performance... electrifying, emotionally exhaustive and utterly gripping...At the forefront was Solyom's palpable dynamism. He exudes character, which translated into musical charisma the moment he fired up the orchestra”
The Scotsman

Stefan Solyom has rapidly acquired an international reputation to complement his firmly established status in the musical life of his native Sweden.  His appearances in the opera house and on the concert platform have drawn praise for their lyrical warmth and strong conviction, and the immediacy of his rapport and engagement with orchestral players has delighted critics, audiences and musicians alike.  A pupil of Leif Segerstam and Jorma Panula – two of the world’s most revered and colourful conducting teachers – Stefan caught the world’s attention as a prize-winner at the 2000 International Sibelius Conducting Competition.  

Stefan Solyom was appointed General Music Director of the Deutsches Nationaltheater and Staatskapelle Weimar in 2009.  In his first  two seasons, as well as a full programme of subscription concerts with the Staatskapelle, he has conducted new productions of Eugen Onegin, Le Nozze di Figaro and Jost’s Angst as well as revivals of Rigoletto and Tosca.  Stefan also took on a new production of Tristan und Isolde to critical acclaim:

Stefan Solyom proved with his Staatskapelle once again that they are a fantastic orchestra for Wagnerian repertoire, but also that Stefan himself is a master of sound.  Exquisite and sensuous sounds arose from the pit.  Stefan brought the fantastically transparent sounds of Wagner's score out through the orchestra and highlighted a wide range of dynamics.  
Ostthüringer Zeitung

Stefan Solyom is Principal Guest Conductor of the Norrköpings Symfoniorkester and from 2006-2009 he held the post of Associate Guest Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, a role created especially for him.  As a guest conductor he has forged strong relationships with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the Gothenburg, Lahti and Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestras, MDR Leipzig and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Recent and future engagements include returns to Gothenburg and Lahti as well as concerts with the Helsinki and Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestras and National Symphony Orchestra Taipei and for Malmö Opera he will conduct Jenufa.

Alongside a successful career on the concert platform Stefan continues to flourish in the opera house. After making his debut with the Royal Swedish Opera in 1999, Stefan has conducted a wide range of repertoire including Tosca (Paris Opera), Romeo et Juliette, Faust, Le Villi (Frankfurt Opera), Die Fledermaus, Barber of Seville (Komische Oper), Die Zauberflöte, Tales of Hoffman, Falstaff, Il Trovatore (Royal Swedish Opera) and The Rakes Progress and Ades’ Powder Her Face (Bremen Music Festival).  

Last updated: February 2010