Felix Mildenberger


Felix Mildenberger is a German conductor. Since winning the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition 2018 he has been assistant conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. Furthermore, Paavo Järvi has appointed him as his Assistant Conductor at the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich for the 2019/20 season. Since 2014 he has been principal conductor and artistic director of the Symphonieorchester Crescendo Freiburg, which he co-founded in 2014.

Career

Mildenberger grew up in Germany as the son of a primary-school teacher and a secondary-school teacher. His interest in conducting came up when he was about 17. Although he had been playing violin and piano from the age of 7, he did not get introduced to the bigger symphonic repertoire until he got to play in a French-German youth symphony orchestra himself. At this occasion he also got the chance to conduct an orchestra for the first time.
After his Abitur and a year of Social Service in Canada, he went on to study conducting from 2011 until 2015 at the University of Music Freiburg and later at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with Lutz Koehler, Mark Stringer, Gerhard Markson, Scott Sandmeier and Massimiliano Matesic. In addition, he studied with David Zinman, Paavo Järvi, Neeme Järvi in master classes as well as with Bernard Haitink, whom he has repeatedly served as assistant and cover conductor since then.
In 2014 he founded together with friends the and has been their principal conductor and music director ever since.
Since 2017 he has been conducting fellow with the of the German Music Council.
Between 2017 and 2019, Mildenberger had the position of assistant conductor to music director Emmanuel Krivine at the Orchestre National de France. Prior to his he had lectured in orchestral conducting for two years at the University of Music Freiburg.
Mildenberger lives in Hamburg, Germany, and is fluent in German, English and French.

International orchestras

Mildenberger has worked with the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, hr-Sinfonieorchester, Bremer Philharmoniker, Nürnberger Philharmoniker, Folkwang Kammerorchester Essen, Filarmonica Teatro Regio Torino, Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Petersburg State Capella Symphony Orchestra, Orquestrade Cadaqués, Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire and others.
During the 2019/20 season Mildenberger will make his debuts with the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Ensemble Modern, Orchestre National de Lille, Aarhus Symfoniorkester, Hamburger Camerata, Salzburger Mozartwoche.

Prizes