Prof. Christian Ehwald

Prof. Christian Ehwald was born in Eberswalde. He began taking piano lessons at the age of six. From 1973-78 he studied conducting at the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler Berlin under Prof. Horst Förster and at the Leningrad Conservatoire under Prof. Arvid Jansen and Prof. Mariss Jansons. In 1979 he was awarded third prize in the 6th Herbert von Karajan conducting competition. From 1981-88 Christian Ehwald was chief conductor of the Jena Philharmonic. His first appearance as guest conductor with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in 1982 led to many more concerts with this orchestra. In 1982 Christian Ehwald gave concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic. He has appeared as guest conductor at the State Opera in Berlin since 1984, and concert tours with the Staatskapelle have taken him to England, Australia and New Zealand. From 1988-89 he worked as a freelance conductor. Among the orchestras he conducted were the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Radio Symphony Orchestras of Berlin, Bavarian Radio and West German Radio, the Petersburg Philharmonic and many other European, American and Japanese orchestras. From 1998 - 2003 Christian Ehwald was general music director at the theatre in Magdeburg and chief conductor of the Magdeburg Philharmonic. In 1999 he gave a masterclass at the Dresden Academy of Music. Christian Ehwald was appointed Professor of Conducting (Academy Symphony Orchestra) at the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler Berlin from the winter semester 2002/2003.