In great demand as a guest conductor, recent and forthcoming appearances include ensembles such as Bavarian Radio Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Essener Philharmoniker, Poznań Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Lyon, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, and Zurich Tonhalle Orchestras, as well as Radio Symphony Orchestras of Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hannover, Leipzig and Stuttgart. In the UK, he is a frequent guest with the Philharmonia, with whom he conducted a complete Brahms cycle at the Royal Festival Hall, and has also worked with BBC Scottish Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, and Hallé Orchestras. 

He recently concluded his tenure as Music Director at Prague State Opera, where he conducted productions including Der fliegende Holländer and Schreker’s Der ferne Klang, amongst others. There he also launched the four-year Musica non Grata project, dedicated to works by composers suppressed by 20^th-century totalitarian regimes, which included a major festival marking the 150^th anniversary of Alexander Zemlinsky. Elsewhere, Steffens has led performances at Teatro alla Scala (Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni, Götterdämmerung) and is a regular guest at Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden. At Norwegian National Opera, he conducted the Norwegian premiere of Pelléas et Mélisande alongside productions of Così fan tutte, Fidelio, and Calixto Bieito’s Tosca.

Prior to his conducting career, Steffens was a highly respected solo clarinettist who also held several orchestral positions culminating in the successive posts of Principal Clarinet with the Bavarian Radio and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras. He was recently awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz, Germany’s Federal Cross of Merit, in recognition of his outstanding services to music.