Axel Kober has been Music Director of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf Duisburg since the 2009/10 season, where he been the driving force behind a broad repertoire ranging from Händel and Mozart through Italian opera, Wagner and Strauss to classical operetta and significant works from the 20th and 21st centuries. His collaboration with the Duisburger Philharmoniker has also intensified on the concert platform since his appointment as General Music Director of the Duisburger Philharmoniker in 2019. In addition to his international concert engagements, Axel Kober also makes guest appearances at Europe’s leading opera houses such as the Wiener Staatsoper, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Semperoper in Dresden, Zurich Opera House and the Hamburgische Staatsoper, where he is highly sought after, particularly for the German romantic repertoire. In January 2019 Axel Kober conducted a “Ring” cycle at the Wiener Staatsoper that was highly acclaimed by press and public alike: “conductor Axel Kober is the most important discovery for Viennese Wagnerians,” wrote the prestigious newspaper “Die Presse”. He has subsequently been invited back to the Staatsoper to conduct works including Weber’s “Der Freischütz”.
At the Bayreuth Festival he has been a regular performer on the green hill since his successful debut with “Tannhäuser” in 2013. Axel Kober began his career as a Kapellmeister in Schwerin and Dortmund, before becoming Deputy General Music Director in Mannheim and then moving to Leipzig Opera as Music Director and Head of Music in 2007. His outstanding productions for the Deutsche Oper am Rhein include Alban Berg’s “Wozzeck” with director Stefan Herheim and the award-winning ballet production of Brahms’ “Ein Deutsches Requiem” choreographed by Martin Schläpfer. Another highlight is Kober’s production of Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen” directed by Dietrich W. Hilsdorf. Axel Kober has conducted the “Ring on the Rhine” each year since its premiere in both Düsseldorf and in Duisburg.