Stefan Blunier is General Music Director of the city of Bonn - he is at the same time chief conductor of the Beethoven Orchester Bonn and of the Bonn Opera, which received nationwide attention through his productions of Eugen d’ Albert’s Der Golemand Franz Schreker’s Irrelohe. Both productions are meanwhile available as complete recordings with Dabringhaus & Grimm and were awarded with prestigious prizes: the ECHO 2011 (Golem) and 2012 (Irrelohe) as well as the “Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik 1/2012” (Irrelohe). He conducted the Beethoven Orchester Bonn in important venues, such as the Kölner Philharmonie, Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Großes Festspielhaus Salzburg. Extensive tours, recently to Chinaand in spring 2013 to the USA, and the continuation of regular CD-recordings are planned. Meanwhile Blunier’s discography with rarely performed works of Anton Bruckner, Franz Liszt und Franz Schmidt has become impressive. In addition to his Bonn position Stefan Blunier is first guest conductor of the Orchestre National de Belgique/Brüssel since the season 2010/11.

Upcoming engagements include Strauss’ Daphneat Oper Frankfurt, Rigolettoat Oper Zürich, Les Contes d’ Hoffmannat De Norske Opera Oslo and – already in 2012/13 - new productions of Hindemith’s Triptychonand Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde at the Bonn Opera.

Stefan Blunier started conducting at the theatres of Mainzand Augsburg, became 1. Kapellmeister at Nationaltheater Mannheim und was General Music Director at the Staatstheater Darmstadt from 2001/02 to the end of 2008. As winner of different competitions (Besancon 1990 und Malko 1992 in Kopenhagen) he received international invitations. Blunier was guest of nearly all German Rundfunkorchestern, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Staatsphilharmonie Ludwigshafen, Duisburger Sinfoniker as well as leading orchestras in Danmark, Belgium, Italy, Korea, Switzerlandand France. Opera engagements let him to the improtant opera houses in Munich, Hamburg, Leipzig, Stuttgart and Berlin (Komische Oper and Deutsche Oper), as well as Montpellier, Oslo and Bern. Since 2008/09 a close cooperation was established with the Komische Oper Berlin: After Prokofjew’s Liebe zu den drei Orangenand concerts a new production of Poulenc’s Dialogue des Carmelites was on his agenda. At the English National Opera Blunier performed the original version of Henze’s Elegy for young lovers with considerable success. He conducted the world premiere of Bluthaus by Haas at the Schwetzinger Festspiele. 

The Suisse conductor studied piano, horn, composition and conductiongin his native town Bernand at the Folkwang Hochschule Essen. Already during his studies he founded the „Ensemble für Neue Musik Essen“ and played internationally recitals, broadcast productions and Liederabende as pianist.

www.stefanblunier.com