Hans GRAF, conductor

„In the Houston Orchestra, Hans Graf seems to have found a kindred musical spirit; the synergy between the conductor and orchestra infuses these performances with a marvellous combination of intensity and precision.

 [Berg: 3 pieces from The Lyric Suite, Zemlinsky: Lyric Symphony (Naxos)] Houston CD Review, June 2009

 Music Director of the Houston Symphony, the Austrian conductor Hans Graf is one of today’s most highly respected musicians and is recognised for his creative programming and his intensely musical interpretations of a wide range of repertoire. He made his Carnegie Hall debut with his orchestra in 2006 and returned there in January 2010 for the New York premiere of Gustav Holst’s “Planets” accompanied by images from NASA.

In his career, Hans Graf has held the position of Chief Conductor of the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg for ten years, of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra for eight years and the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine for six seasons.

Hans Graf frequently conducts the major orchestras of the USA including the Los Angeles and New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Saint Louis, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Baltimore orchestras. Over the past fifteen years Hans Graf developed a close relationship with Boston Symphony and he appears regularly in their season and at the Tanglewood Music Festival.

In Europe, Hans Graf has led major orchestras such as the Vienna Symphony, Vienna Philharmonic, Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, Bavarian and Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestras, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, Budapest Festival Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Royal Philharmonic, Hallй Orchestra Manchester and Royal Scottish National Symphony Orchestra.

Upcoming engagements include concerts with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Hallй Orchestra Manchester, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Residentie Orkest Den Haag, and a tour with his Houston Symphony Orchestra to the UK. In the USA, he continues his cooperation with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Cincinatti and Baltimore Symphonys and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. This summer, he conducted the opening concert of the Aspen festival and returned to the Vail, Grant Park and Tanglewood festivals.

As an opera conductor, Hans Graf first conducted the Vienna State Opera in 1981 and has since then worked at the opera houses of Berlin, Munich, Paris and Rome. Recent productions include “Tristan und Isolde” (Opйra National de Bordeaux), “Parsifal” (Zurich Opera) and “Boris Godunov” (Opйra National du Rhin Strasbourg).

In 2002, Hans Graf was awarded the “Chevalier de lґOrdre de la Lйgion d’Honneur” by the French government for championing French music around the world. In 2007, he received the “Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold” for services to the Republic of Austria.

Hans Grafґs discography includes the complete symphonies of Mozart and Schubert, the complete orchestral works of Henry Dutilleux with the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine (BMG/Arte Nova) and the premiere recording of Zemlinskyґs opera “Es war einmal”. The latest recordings with the Houston Symphony include Bartуk’s „The Wooden Prince“ (Koch International), Zemlinsky’s Lyric Symphony (Naxos) and soon to be released, Mahler’s “The Song of the Earth” (Naxos). He has also recorded for EMI, Orfeo, Erato, Capriccio, JVC, and CBC.

Born near Linz, Hans Graf first studied violin and piano. After diplomas in piano and conducting (Graz), he continued his studies in Italy and Russia with Franco Ferrara, Sergiu Celibidache and Arvid Jansons. His career was launched in 1979 when he was awarded first prize at the Karl Bцhm Competition in Salzburg.