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2024-07-21T14:20:22Z

External links: added Category:People from Offenburg

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{{short description|German conductor and violinist (born 1969)}}
{{Infobox musical artist 
| name = Jonas Alber
| image =
| caption = Photo credit: Ugo Ponte
| image_size = 250
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|3|11}}
|birth_place = [[Offenburg]], [[West Germany]]| landscape = Yes
| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| genre = [[Classical music|Classical]]
| years_active = 1997–present
| website = [http://www.jonasalber.com www.jonasalber.com]
}}

'''Jonas Alber''' (born March 11, 1969) is a German conductor and violinist based in Berlin. He was appointed general music director of the [[Staatstheater Braunschweig]] in 1998, becoming Germany’s youngest conductor to hold such a position at the time.

== Early life ==
Born in Offenburg, West Germany, Jonas Alber studied violin and conducting at the [[Hochschule für Musik Freiburg]], where he was a student of [[Nicolas Chumachenco]]. He later attended the [[University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna|Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst]] in Vienna, where he studied conducting under [[Leopold Hager]] and [[Karl Österreicher]], and qualified as a conductor. He was awarded the Herbert von Karajan Foundation scholarship in 1995.

== Staatstheater Braunschweig ==
Alber was named [[Kapellmeister]] at the Staatstheater Braunschweig in 1997 and his talent quickly gained attention. He was appointed general music director the following year, a position he held until 2007. Among his tenure’s highlights include his 1998 to 2002 production of Richard Wagner’s opera tetralogy, ''[[Der Ring des Nibelungen]]''. Alber received international recognition for his premieres of ''[[Reigen (opera)|Reigen]]'', ''[[Wintermärchen (opera)|Wintermärchen]]'' and [[Julie (opera)|''Julie'']] by [[Philippe Boesmans]], and of Mozart’s ''[[La Clemenza di Tito]]'', with newly composed recitative texts by [[Manfred Trojahn]], in 2006, the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth. He earned additional acclaim for his world premiere of [[Siegfried Matthus]]’ ''Cosima''.

During his career at the Staatstheater Braunschweig, Alber was particularly known for his performances of newly composed and contemporary pieces, in addition to works by such neglected composers as [[Erich Wolfgang Korngold]] and [[Alexander von Zemlinsky]].

== Guest conducting work ==
Following his work at the Staatstheater Braunschweig, Alber became known for his guest conducting appearances with leading orchestras and opera companies in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia, and at prestigious music festivals.

=== Europe ===

Alber has conducted the [[Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra]], the [[BBC Symphony Orchestra]], the [[Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra]], the [[Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra]], the [[City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra]], the Flanders Symphony Orchestra, the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra, the [[Iceland Symphony Orchestra]], the [[Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra|Kristiansand Symfoniorkester]], the [[Orchestre National de Belgique]], the Orchestre National de Lille, the [[Residentie Orkest]] of The Hague, the Symphony Orchestra of St. Gallen, the [[Tonkünstler Orchestra]] of Lower Austria, the [[Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra]] and the [[Zurich Chamber Orchestra]].

In Germany, he has performed with the [[Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra]], the Bochum Symphony Orchestra, the [[Dresden Philharmonic]], the [[Hamburg Symphony Orchestra]], the Leipzig [[MDR Symphony Orchestra]], the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken and the [[WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne]].

In 2007, Alber conducted the world premiere of [[Benoît Mernier]]’s opera, ''Frühlings Erwachen'', at the [[Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie]] in Brussels. The following year, he premiered Mats Larsson Gothe’s ''Poet and Prophetess'' at [[NorrlandsOperan]] in Sweden. In 2009, he led a new production of Mozart’s ''[[The Abduction from the Seraglio]]'' at the [[Teatro Colón]] in Buenos Aires, after which he returned to the Staatstheater Braunschweig for a new staging of Beethoven’s ''[[Fidelio]]''. In 2010, he conducted Richard Wagner’s ''[[Das Rheingold]]'' and ''[[Götterdämmerung]]'' at the [[Semperoper]] in Dresden, and Richard Strauss’ ''[[Der Rosenkavalier]]'' at the [[Teatro Real]] in Madrid. In 2011, Alber conducted the Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias in Handel's ''Messiah'' at the cathedral in Oviedo, Spain. He later conducted Mozart’s ''[[The Magic Flute]]'' at the [[Hamburgische Staatsoper]] in Germany.

Among his other operatic conducting performances include [[Tiefland (opera)|''Tiefland'']] by [[Eugen d’Albert]]; ''[[Peter Grimes]]'' by [[Benjamin Britten]]; ''[[The Makropulos Case]]'' by [[Leoš Janáček]]; [[Carmina Burana (Orff)|''Carmina Burana'']] by [[Carl Orff]]; [[Notre Dame (opera)|''Notre Dame'']] by [[Franz Schmidt (composer)|Franz Schmidt]]; ''[[Der Schatzgräber]]'' by [[Franz Schreker]]; ''[[Der Kaiser von Atlantis]]'' by [[Viktor Ullmann]]; and [[Mona Lisa (opera)|''Mona Lisa'']] by [[Max von Schillings]].

=== Africa ===

Alber has made guest appearances with the [[Cape Philharmonic Orchestra]] and the [[KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra|KZN Philharmonic Orchestra]] in South Africa. In 2008, he led the production of Mats Larsson Gothe’s ''Poet and Prophetess'' at the [[Cape Town Opera]]. Alber later returned to South Africa in summer 2011 to conduct the world premiere of ''Winnie the Opera'' by [[Bongani Ndodana-Breen]], a work based on the life of [[Winnie Madikizela-Mandela]], at the South African State Theatre in Pretoria.

=== Asia and Australasia ===

In 2007, Alber conducted the [[Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra]] in the production of Beethoven’s ''Fidelio''. Two years later, he made his conducting debuts in China and Japan with the [[Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra]] and the [[Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra]]. In 2010, he conducted the [[Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra]] and the Berlin Philharmonic Choir in Hanoi for the Year of Germany opening, with a performance of Beethoven’s [[Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)|''Symphony No. 9'']]. He made his debut with the Wuhan Symphony Orchestra in China later that year.

=== Music festivals ===

Alber is a regular guest conductor at such festivals as the Flanders Festival in Belgium, the [[Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg]] opera festival in Germany, the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival in South Africa, and the Festival de Laon, the Festival de Violoncelle de Beauvais and the Festival des Forêts in France.

== Musical collaborations ==
Alber has worked with soloists [[Radek Baborák]], Isabelle Faust, [[Martin Fröst]], [[Sol Gabetta]], [[Natalia Gutman]], [[Håkan Hardenberger]], [[Shlomo Mintz]], [[Igor Oistrach]], [[Steven Osborne (pianist)|Steven Osborne]] and Maxim Rysanov. Additionally, he has collaborated with such vocalists as [[Joyce DiDonato]], Franz Hawlata, Hans-Peter König, [[Genia Kühmeier]], [[Anne Schwanewilms]] and [[Iris Vermillion]].

== Awards and honors ==
* 2008: [[Diapason d’Or]] for his recording of Benoît Mernier’s ''Frühlings Erwachen''

== Discography ==
* 1999: Jean Sibelius, Symphony No. 2 D major, Finlandia, released by Classiconcert
* 2000: Robert Schumann, Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3, released by Classiconcert
* 2001: Robert Schumann, Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4, Manfred, released by Classiconcert
* 2001: Felix Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 3 A minor, The Hebrides; Richard Strauss: Macbeth, released by Classiconcert
* 2001: Antonín Dvořák, Complete Works for Violin and Orchestra, released by Confido
* 2002: Johannes Brahms, Concerto for Violin and Violoncello A minor, released by Confido
* 2004: César Franck, Symphony D minor, Le chasseur maudit, released by Coviello Classics
* 2004: Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 3 D minor, released by Coviello Classics
* 2005: Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 2 C minor, released by GENIUN Musikproduktion
* 2007: Richard Strauss, An Alpine Symphony, released by Coviello Classics
* 2007: Benoit Mernier, Frühlings Erwachen, Opera in 3 acts, released by Cypres Records
* 2008: Richard Strauss, A Hero's Life, Death and Transfiguration, released by Coviello Classics
* 2008: Sergei Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 3 D minor, released by Linear Art Transfer

== Recording labels ==
* Classiconcert
* Confido
* Coviello Classics
* Cypres Records
* GENUIN Musikproduktion
* Linear Art Transfer

== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://www.jonasalber.com|Jonas Alber - official website}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130831060436/http://castellanoartists.com/jonas-alber/ Castellano Artists]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120628060429/http://www.musiespana.com/artistas/jonas-alber/artist_profile/index.html MUSIESPAÑA]
* [http://www.boettger-berlin.de/ Bühnen- und Konzertagentur Marianne Böttger]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alber, Jonas}}
[[Category:German male conductors (music)]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:People from Offenburg]]
[[Category:Hochschule für Musik Freiburg alumni]]
[[Category:21st-century German conductors (music)]]
[[Category:21st-century German male musicians]]

Jonas Alber - Revision history

imported>ArbieP: /* External links */ added Category:People from Offenburg