Live Valentine’s Concert: Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony Thu 13 – Sat 15 February

German conductor David Niemann is establishing himself as one of the most gifted conductors of his generation. Second prize winner of the 2015 Malko Conducting Competition, in February 2015 he was appointed Assistant Conductor at the Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier, where he worked alongside chief conductor Michael Schønwandt for the following three seasons. He is developing a broad mainstream repertoire and is equally a persuasive advocate of twentieth-century and contemporary repertoire.

Highlights of the 2023/24 season will include returning to the Royal Scottish National Orchestra to conduct the finals of the Scottish International Piano Competition, a full staging of the Mozart Requiem at Malmo Opera, with dancers from the Skanes Dansteater and choreography by choreography by Örjan Andersson, a revival of Elena Kats-Chernin’s Der herzlose Riese with Luxembourg Philharmonic and a regional tour with Orchestre de Picardie. The season will also see debuts with Filharmonica Banatul Timisoara and Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, as well as a return to Kammerakademie Potsdam.

Recent highlights have included successful debuts with Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Kammerakademie Potsdam, Aalborg Symfoniorkester, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestre National de Belgique and Ensemble Modern (Hamburg Elbphilharmonie); the world premiere of world premiere of Elena Kats-Chernin’s new opera Der herzlose Riese with Luxembourg Philharmonic; a special interdisciplinary project with Junge Deutsche Philharmonie featuring new commissions with the most renowned artists of the German-speaking poetry slam scene; Schoenberg’s A Survivor from Warsaw, paired with Beethoven’s Choral Symphony, to open the Barcelona concert season of the Valles Symphony in the iconic Palau de la Musica. Engagements have also included a series of projects with Qatar Philharmonic, a number of visits to Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Luxembourg Philharmonic; many main season and regional concerts with the Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier and concerts with Opéra National de Lorraine and Orchestre Lyrique Région Avignon Provence.

Earlier seasons featured Residentie Orkest, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and Orchestre National de Lille, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester and Hamburger Symphoniker. His many projects for Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier included notable staged productions of Schumann’s Manfred, a double bill of Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges and Szymon Laks’ L’Hirondelle inattendue and La Boîte à joujoux – Debussy’s ballet for children. While in Montpellier he conducted many orchestral programmes featuring core symphonic repertoire such as Dvorak Symphony No. 9, Brahms, Mozart and Beethoven.

In 2013 he assisted Emmanuel Krivine in a production of Schumann’s Manfred at the Opéra Comique (Paris). While still a student he conducted Così fan tutte and Die Fledermaus at the Academy of Music, Leipzig, and Christian Jost’s The Arabian Night at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg.

Initially a passionate violinist, David commenced his conducting studies in 2007 as a pre-student at the Folkwang University of his hometown of Essen with David de Villiers and continued his studies at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki with Leif Segerstam, at the Dutch National Masters of Conducting programme with Ed Spanjaard and Jac van Steen, in addition to the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg with Ulrich Windfuhr and holds a Master’s degree from those last two institutions.

See David Niemann conduct Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony with the RSNO on 13, 14 and 15 February 2025.

South Korean soprano Sunyoung Seo was born in Pusan, and studied singing at the Korea National University of Arts in Seoul.

A DAAD scholarship enabled her to come to Europe and to study at the Robert Schumann Musikhochschule in Düsseldorf, where she performed roles such as Contessa Almaviva Le Nozze di Figaro, Mimi La bohème and the title role in Suor Angelica. With support from Westdeutscher Rundfunk, she recorded a CD album of romances and arias and then, as a member of the ensemble at Theater Basel, appeared as the title role in Rusalka, Micaëla Carmen, Salud La vida Breve, Katja Katja Kabanova, Amelia Un ballo in maschera, Desdemona Otello, Elettra Idomeneo, Elsa Lohengrin and Tatiana Eugene Onegin.

Sunyoung has worked with leading international conductors including Christian Thielemann, Valery Gergiev, Myung-whun Chung, John Fiore, Axel Kober, Gabriel Feltz, John Luther, Enrico Delamboye, Giuliano Betta, Andrea Marcon, and Thomas Gabrisch. She has also performed with presitigious orchestras including the Wiener Philharmoniker, London Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonieorchester Basel, Mariinsky Orchestra, Munich Radio Orchestra, Berner Symphonieorchester, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and NHK Symphony Orchestra, in venues including the Barbican, Wiener Konzerthaus, Carnegie Hall, Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, Mariinsky Concert Hall and Konzert Theater Bern.

In competition, she has won first prizes at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and St Petersburg, the Maria Callas Grand Prix and the Francisco Viñas International Competition, and second prize at the International ARD Music Competition in Munich.

Sunyoung is now a freelance soprano and her recent performances and roles include Cio-Cio-San Madame Butterfly at the Opéra National de Lorraine, Santuzza Cavalleria Rusticana and Elsa Lohengrin in Seoul, her United Kingdom début as Liù Turandot for Opera North, Katja Katja Kabanova at the Hamburger Staatsoper, Ortlinde Die Walküre at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the title role in Rusalka and Elisabetta Don Carlo in Daegu, plus both Tosca and Elena Les Vêpres Siciliennes in Seoul.

Her most recent appearances in Europe include her first Aida at the Opéra de Montpellier and her debut with Scottish Opera as both Giorgetta Il tabarro and Angelica Suor Angelica in Sir David McVicar’s critically-acclaimed production of Il Trittico, for which she received glowing and universal praise for her two portrayals from press and audience alike. Alongside her busy diary in Korea, her future European plans include Angelica Suor Angelica with the Nederlandse Reisopera.

See Sunyoung Seo perform Wagner with the RSNO on 13, 14 and 15 February 2025.