Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård is Music Director of Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He has served as Principal Conductor of BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) Principal Conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra.
Thomas Søndergård is Music Director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, following six seasons as Principal Guest Conductor. In July 2022 the Minnesota Orchestra announced that the Danish conductor would become its eleventh Music Director. He served as Principal Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales from 2012 to 2018, and prior to this, as Principal Conductor and Musical Advisor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra for three seasons.
He has conducted many leading orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouworkest, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Bamberger Symphoniker, Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony and Seattle Symphony.
Søndergård’s opera projects include Turandot at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Die Zauberflöte at the Norwegian Opera House, Scartazzini’s Edward II at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Tosca and Dialogues des Carmélites at the Royal Swedish Opera and The Trial, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Le nozze di Figaro, La bohème, The Cunning Little Vixen and Il viaggio a Reims at the Royal Danish Opera.
Commercial recordings with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales include Sibelius’ Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, 6 and 7, and an album of his tone poems and theatre music (all on Linn). His first release with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra features Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier Suite and Ein Heldenleben (also on Linn). Other noteworthy recordings include the Lutosławski and Dutilleux cello concertos with Johannes Moser and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin on Pentatone, Vilde Frang’s celebrated debut album for EMI, and Poul Ruders’ Piano Concerto No. 2 on Bridge Records, which was nominated for a Gramophone Award in 2011.
