Last season, Renes performed frequently in Asia, including visits to Japan with Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and NHK Symphony Orchestra. He then went on to premiere George Benjamin’s Written on Skin in China with Beijing Music Festival and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra; and made his debut with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, in an electric programme of Sibelius, Brahms and Richard Mills. Other engagements in recent seasons include opera productions in Brussels, Seattle, Lisbon and Santa Fe; and symphonic appearances with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Oslo Philharmonic, OSESP in Sao Paulo, Helsinki Philharmonic, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra and Milwaukee Symphony.

Formerly Music Director of the Royal Swedish Opera, his repertoire there ranged from Mozart through to the 21^st Century. An energetic champion of contemporary repertoire, he is particularly associated with the music of John Adams (having conducted productions of Nixon in China at San Francisco Opera and Doctor Atomic at both English National Opera and De Nederlandse Opera — the DVD of the latter was named as one of the Ten Best Classical Recordings of the Year for 2008 in The New Yorker – and orchestral works with London and Hong Kong philharmonic orchestras, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra) but also with George Benjamin, Mark Anthony Turnage, Guillaume Connesson and Robin de Raaff.