





André de Ridder
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“One of the world’s most daring conductors”
Wall Street Journal
Music Director Designate: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (from September 2027)
Music Director Designate: English National Opera (from September 2027)
General Music Director: Theater Freiburg
Founder: s t a r g a z e
André de Ridder is the Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of Theater Freiburg and designated Music Director of both English National Opera and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, titles he will assume from September 2027. He is in demand internationally for his impressive stylistic versatility, from baroque to contemporary music. His projects and collaborations take him to orchestras such as New York Philharmonic, Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, Tonhalle Zurich, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris and Concertgebouworkest.
Over the course of the 2025/26 season, de Ridder will conduct titles such as Doctor Atomic, Iphigénie en Tauride and The Loser at the Theater Freiburg, and Mahagonny at the English National Opera.
De Ridder will also make guest appearances with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Belgian National Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra Dublin, The Hallé, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, as well as New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He curates and performs at Oulu Festival and continues his curatorship of‘Unclassified Live’ at London’s Southbank Centre, a series of genre-defying performances featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra.
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The “livewire conductor” (The Times) has formed close relationships with some of the most prominent opera composers of our generation, including Michel van der Aa, Daníel Bjarnason, Nico Muhly and Kaija Saariaho. De Ridder also recently performed repertoire works such as Bluebeard’s Castle (Philharmonia Orchestra) and Scenes from Goethe’s Faust by Schumann (Staatstheater Stuttgart), collaborating with directors such as Kasper Holten, Barrie Kosky and Enda Walsh. He made his debut at Oper Köln, for performances of Der Meister und Margarita by York Höller.
De Ridder is an Artistic Director and co-founder of s t a r g a z e, performing projects ranging from Bach to avant-garde electronics, and contemporary classical music. The group has gained a significant following, and is regularly invited by leading concert halls, including the Barbican Centre London, the Kölner Philharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.
De Ridder’s discography includes an album of orchestral music by Bryce Dessner and Jonny Greenwood and the hugely successful Four Seasons Recomposed by Max Richter, both for Deutsche Grammophon. The Max Richter recording was awarded an ECHO Klassik Classic Without Borders award and has topped the classical charts in over 20 countries. For Transgressive Records, De Ridder also acted as producer on the release of Africa Express Presents: In C Mali. This followed a trip to Bamako, Mali, with Damon Albarn and his Africa Express project. In Mali, de Ridder initiated and led a recording of Riley’s In C with local musicians, joined by travelling Western artists, including Brian Eno and Damon Albarn.
De Ridder was Artistic Director of Musica Nova Helsinki 2017 – 2021, and in 2018 was the recipient of a Royal Philharmonic Society Award for his innovative work as Artistic Curator of London’s Spitalfields Festival.
HarrisonParrott represents André de Ridder for general management.
Contacts
Anna Wetherell Associate Director, Composers & Artists Jane Brown Senior Director, Co-Head of Artist Management
worldwide general management
Jane Brown Senior Director, Co-Head of Artist Management
Jane Brown Senior Director, Co-Head of Artist Management
worldwide general management
Season Highlights
National Concert Hall Dublin
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BRYCE DESSNER: Concerto for Two Pianos
BRYCE DESSNER: St Carolyn by the Sea
IGOR STRAVINSKY: Petrushka ballet (1947 version)
Royal Albert Hall
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ZIMMER: Chevaliers de Sangreal from The Da Vinci Code
ARAKELYAN: Toccata
ZIMMER: Interstellar Suite
CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS: Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78 (Organ Symphony)
Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ
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Nader Abadnejad – new work
Khayam - Concerto for viola, santur and ensemble, movement I
Hjirok - ‘Forbidden Echoes’, movement I
Khayam - Concerto for viola, santur and ensemble, movement II & III
Hjirok - ‘Forbidd
Michael Fowler Centre
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MUSSORGSKY arr RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Night on Bald Mountain
PAUL DUKAS: L’Apprenti sorcier (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice)
IGOR STRAVINSKY: Petrushka ballet (1947 version)
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Michael Fowler Centre
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FISHER/KAVANAGH: Papatūānuku ( Kavanagh solo Taonga Puoro)
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: The Lark Ascending
ROBERT SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 38 (Spring)
“De Ridder imbued the performance with a tangible sense of anticipation thanks to his cohesive, taut conducting.”
“De Ridder conducted with a supreme elegance throughout the performance taking the orchestra through to the glorious finale.”
“Through careful phrasing and tempered dynamic expression, de Ridder led the orchestra in a captivating performance.”
“Under the fiery baton of André de Ridder, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra gave a spectacular reading of Bartók’s score. This was virtouso playing, worthy of any international symphony orchestra, with Ridder bringing a powerful intensity to the performance.“
“The RTÉ Concert Orchestra, under Andre de Ridder, delivers a thrilling, sensitive take on Bartok’s music, wringing out all the drama, dissonance and momentum of a score that is proto-cinematic.“
“This [Debussy’s La mer] was a gorgeous performance with the brass and woodwind sections notably enjoying the rich orchestration. From its opening evocation of dawn on the ocean to the final movement’s violent contest between air and water, the APO and de Ridder gave us an exhilarating version full of colour and variety.“
“Under careful and strict conducting by André de Ridder, the performance was tight and exciting.“