Artist database

Born: 9th September 1949, Budapest.

Conductor, general music director of the Hungarian State Opera.

He studied at the Béla Bartók Conservatory and the Music Academy, then until 1971 at the Vienna Music College as pupil of Hans Swarowsky. In the next few years he learned on the master course of Franco Ferrara in Venice and Siena.

His international career began when he came in first at the Guido Cantelli International Conductor Contest in 1973, ever since he has been a regular guest at the world´s finest opera houses (Wiener Staatsoper, La Scala Milan, Metropolitan, etc.) and festivals (Salzburg, Bregenz, Maggio Musicale, etc.). He has conducted such famous orchestras as the Wiener Philharmoniker, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as the Chicago and Boston Symphony Orchestra.

In 1971-72 he was conductor and correpetitor of the Graz Theatre, from 1972 to 1973 of the St. Pölten Theatre. From 1973 to 1974 he was the correpetitor of the Wiener Staatsoper and the first conductor of Finnish National Opera in Helsinki (1974-1977). From 1975 he was the conductor of Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, from 1978 the conductor of the Karlsruhe Theatre. In 1980 he was invited to the Salzburg Festival. He debuted as conductor at the Wiener Staatsoper in 1980, where he also conducted the Ring of the Nibelung. From 1981 to 1983 he worked in Freiburg as general music director. He debuted 1984 at Paris Opera, where he conducted the Rose Knight. In the same year he performed in Japan and ever since he is a frequent guest there.

Since 1984 he is guest conductor of Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra and since 1996 he is first guest conductor and art counselor there. Conducting the Magic Flute, he introduced himself 1986 at Milano Scala. For five years (1987-1992) he was the music director of Kassel State Theatre, from autumn 2000 he has directed the opera ensemble of the Mannheim National Theatre. He is a returning guest in Bayreuth, where he debuted in 2001 as conductor of the Ring cycle. His artistic performance was awarded by the periodical ´´Opernwelt´´ with the title ´´Conductor of the Year´´.

He is spiritus rector and artistic director of Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra and the Danish Radio Chamber Orchestra. For the season 2005/2006 he was first guest conductor and from 2006 the general music director of the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Since 2007 Ádám Fischer is general music director of the Hungarian State Opera. His prize-winner records are Goldmark´s Queen of Saba (Hungaroton) and Bartók´s Bluebeard´s Castle (CBS/Sony). He made a record series of Haydn´s symphonies.

Recently he was awarded with Kossuth Prize (2008).