Adam Szmidt - Artistic Director, Conductor

German-Polish conductor Adam Szmidt has been acclaimed as vibrant, passionate, and profound. Since the season 2019/20 he has been working at the Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater in the City of Schwerin. Recent engagements include the opera houses of Heidelberg, Nuremberg, and Bonn.  

Adam Szmidt made his debut conducting the Northern Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in one of the most prestigious concert halls of Europe, the Smetana Hall in Prague. He has since conducted orchestras such as Rhein-Main-Philhamoniker, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Pomeriggi Musicali Milano, National Radio Orchestra Bukarest, Nürnberger Symphoniker, The New Haifa Symphony Orchestra, Sofia Festival Orchestra, Gauteng Philharmonic Orchestra, National Orchestra Constanta, Bad Reichenhaller Philharmonie, Savaria Symphony Orchestra, and Westböhmisches Symphonieorchester Bad Marienbad. Succeeding Gregor Mayrhofer as Principal Conductor, he led the German National Academic Foundation Orchestra North Rhine-Westphalia in the season 2017/18.

Mr. Szmidt studied orchestra and choral conducting at the University of Performing Arts Graz, Austria, under Johannes Prinz and Wolfgang Dörner and at the Conservatory of Music and Performing Arts in Nuremberg under Prof. Guido Rumstadt, assisting him with the production “Drei Wasserspiele” at Stadttheater Fürth. His studies were supported by The German National Academic Foundation, the Alfred Töpfer Foundation and the DAAD. He participated in master classes with Neeme Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Ben Zander,  Nicolás Pasquet, and Jorma Panula.

In Papua New Guinea, Mr. Szmidt performed at the National Education Conference and for the President during his civil service. He continued this engagement by working with music programs for social change in Colombia, Brazil, and India. As pianist, Adam Szmidt was a laureate of the Stuttgarter Matthaes-Wettbewerb and the National German Youth Competition.  

Beyond having conducted and performed on all six continents, Mr. Szmidt also dedicates himself to teaching: In 2018 and 2019, he gave master classes for conductors and singers in Edmonton, Canada, and at the South African Universities of Stellenbosch and Potchefstroom. In 2017, he conducted the world-premiere of the Musical Shadows in Red Light in the Cape Town. In 2019/20, Mr. Szmidt will conduct two world premieres, lead international music academies, and pursue further engagements in Mexico and South Africa.