Ádám Fischer
Ádám Fischer, born in Budapest, is one of the most prominent conductors of our time. In 1987, he founded the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Philharmonic and the Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt, which has become an international center for the celebration of Haydn’s music. Whether in Bayreuth, Milan, Vienna, Berlin, London, or Salzburg, Ádám Fischer is recognized by audiences and musicians alike as a bridge between the world of music and the outside world. His career began as a répétiteur in Graz and led him, via positions as general music director in Freiburg, Kassel, Mannheim, and Budapest, to the major opera stages. He achieved his international breakthrough in 1978 at the Bavarian State Opera with Fidelio. He has particularly close ties to the Vienna State Opera, where he has been an honorary member since 2017. Since 1998, he has served as artistic director of the Danish Chamber Orchestra, with which he has released award-winning complete recordings of the symphonies of Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms. He is currently working on the Haydn symphonies for Naxos.
With the Budapest Wagner Days, founded in 2006, he established a world-class festival that the New York Times described as »Bayreuth on the Danube«. As principal conductor of the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, he launched a Haydn-Mahler cycle in 2015, the recordings of which have won numerous awards. Fischer also uses his international presence to advocate for social causes: He has been committed to human rights for decades, founded the Düsseldorf Human Rights Prize in 2016, and has been honored with awards including the Wolf Prize in Jerusalem and the Kennedy Center’s Gold Medal in the Arts. Selected highlights of the 2026/27 season include, in addition to his regular projects with the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, the Danish Chamber Orchestra, and at the Budapest Wagner Days, concerts with the orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin, the Dresden Philharmonic, the WDR Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Czech Philharmonic (Prague Spring), the Vienna Philharmonic (Mozart Week in Salzburg), the La Scintilla, as well as Lucio Silla (Salzburg Festival) and a concert performance of Fidelio with the Vienna State Opera in Monte Carlo.
As of October 2026
With the Budapest Wagner Days, founded in 2006, he established a world-class festival that the New York Times described as »Bayreuth on the Danube«. As principal conductor of the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, he launched a Haydn-Mahler cycle in 2015, the recordings of which have won numerous awards. Fischer also uses his international presence to advocate for social causes: He has been committed to human rights for decades, founded the Düsseldorf Human Rights Prize in 2016, and has been honored with awards including the Wolf Prize in Jerusalem and the Kennedy Center’s Gold Medal in the Arts. Selected highlights of the 2026/27 season include, in addition to his regular projects with the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, the Danish Chamber Orchestra, and at the Budapest Wagner Days, concerts with the orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin, the Dresden Philharmonic, the WDR Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Czech Philharmonic (Prague Spring), the Vienna Philharmonic (Mozart Week in Salzburg), the La Scintilla, as well as Lucio Silla (Salzburg Festival) and a concert performance of Fidelio with the Vienna State Opera in Monte Carlo.
As of October 2026