Having begun his career as assistant to Esa-Pekka Salonen, Christian Karlsen has rapidly established himself as one of the most gifted and innovative conductors of his generation. He has worked with orchestras including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, BBC Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, as well as conducting at opera companies such as Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Dutch National Opera. Since 2017 Christian Karlsen has been the artistic director of the acclaimed ‘Gränslandet – symfonisk fest’ in Stockholm, a festival with classical music for young adults. Previously he worked as artistic director of the New European Ensemble (2008–14) and the Festival Dag in de Branding (Netherlands) (2015–17). A strong advocate for the music of our time, Karlsen has led numerous world premières and collaborated with composers such as Sir George Benjamin, Kaija Saariaho, Sofia Gubaidulina, Steve Reich and Karlheinz Stockhausen. He is also a frequent guest with new music ensembles including the Ensemble Modern, London Sinfonietta, Asko | Schönberg and ICE International Contemporary Ensemble. He studied at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague and with John Carewe in London.
