Johannes Kalitzke
Johannes Kalitzke is in high demand internationally as a conductor and composer, particularly of contemporary music. Guest conducting engagements have taken him to venues such as the Salzburg Festival, the Vienna Festival, the Berlin Festival, and the Venice Biennale. He conducts ensembles such as the Klangforum Wien, Collegium Novum Zürich, and Ensemble Modern, as well as symphony orchestras, including those of the NDR, SWR, and BR, and at various opera houses.
His conducting of the opera Heart Chamber at the Deutsche Oper Berlin (world premiere in 2019) received particular acclaim. In the 2025/26 season, he has also been invited once again to conduct the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria and the Slovenian Philharmonic in Ljubljana. With the Bruckner Orchestra Linz, he will make a guest appearance at the 2025 Johann Strauss Festival in Vienna. In addition, he continues to focus on composing orchestral music for expressionist silent films, most recently with the composition Hoffmann’s Tales for the film of the same name. As a composer, Kalitzke has also received numerous commissions, including for the Donaueschingen Music Festival and Ultraschall Berlin.
His conducting of the opera Heart Chamber at the Deutsche Oper Berlin (world premiere in 2019) received particular acclaim. In the 2025/26 season, he has also been invited once again to conduct the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria and the Slovenian Philharmonic in Ljubljana. With the Bruckner Orchestra Linz, he will make a guest appearance at the 2025 Johann Strauss Festival in Vienna. In addition, he continues to focus on composing orchestral music for expressionist silent films, most recently with the composition Hoffmann’s Tales for the film of the same name. As a composer, Kalitzke has also received numerous commissions, including for the Donaueschingen Music Festival and Ultraschall Berlin.
Born in Cologne, Johannes Kalitzke studied church music, piano, conducting, and composition there. A scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation enabled him to study at the IRCAM in Paris. In 2015, he was appointed professor at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. Kalitzke has received awards such as the Bernd Alois Zimmermann Prize. He is a member of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin and the Bayerischen Akademie der Schönen Künste. During the 2025/26 season, he will conduct the German premiere of the opera Orlando in collaboration with Ewelina Marciniak.
As of May 2026
