About Henrik Schaefer

Becoming the youngest member of the Berlin Philharmonic in 1991 was just the beginning of his carreer! Next to playing viola in the orchestra he studied conducting in Leipzig from 1994 to 1998 and in 2000 he was chosen by Claudio Abbado to become his assistant with the Berlin Philharmonic.

Henrik Schaefer is currently Chief Conductor of the Värmlands Opera in Sweden and Principal Guest Conductor of the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra in Japan.

His very successful opera career includes Figaro (Leipzig 03), Onegin (Chemnitz 05), Faust (Seoul 06), Parsifal (Karlstad 07), Les Carmelites (Den Haag 07), Figaro (Göteborg 07/08), Boheme (Karlstad 08), Cosi fan tutte (Den Haag 09) and Magic Flute (Hedeland 09 & Göteborg 09/10). Next season he will conduct 5 full Ring cycles in Karlstad, Sweden. The premiere will be in April 2011.

Henrik Schaefer is a regular guest with the great symphonic repertoire with Norrköping Symphony, Tokyo Symphony, Tokyo Metropolitan, New Japan Philharmonic, Holland Symfonia, BBC Scottish, Osaka Philharmonic, Flemish Symphony, Hiroshima Symphony, Teatro Regio di Torino, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Dutch Radio Symphony and Chamber Symphony, Orchestre de l’Opera de Rouen, Sapporo Symphony and Helsingborg Symphony.

The 09/10 season includes debuts with the Tromsö Symphony (Norway), the Aalborg Symphony (Denmark), the Orkest van het Oosten and the Netherlands Philharmonic (Holland).

From 2000 to 2003 as Abbado’s assistant he got numerous chances to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic. Tristan, Parsifal and Falstaff are amongst the operas he led during this time, as well as Mahler and Bruckner symphonies. His Sacre du Printemps with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig in 2001 was the beginning of his own conducting carreer.