THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRA | 2019-2020
Christoph König has
been principal conductor
and music director
of the Solistes
Européens Luxembourg
since 2010. Celebrated
for his clarity,
precision, and elegant
approach, König
is in high demand as
a guest conductor
all over the world.
Since his debut in the
United States in 2010,
he has conducted the
symphony orchestras of Pittsburgh, Seattle, Cincinnati,
Detroit, Indianapolis, Baltimore, and Toronto,
as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony,
and Chicago’s Grant Park Orchestra, among
others. This season, highlights include appearances
with the Rochester Philharmonic and the New Jersey
Symphony Orchestra.
Past engagements include the Staatskapelle Dresden,
Orchestre de Paris, Netherlands Philharmonic,
Bremer Philharmoniker, Wiener Concertverein, Bournemouth
Symphony, Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland
Pfalz, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Danish
National Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,
and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. He has been
affiliated with many of the leading opera houses of
the world such as Zurich Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin,
Bonn Oper, and Teatro Real in Madrid.
From 2009 to 2014, he was principal guest conductor
of the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música.
From 2003 to 2006 he served as principal conductor
of Malmö Symphony Orchestra as well as principal
guest conductor of l’Orquesta Filarmonica de Gran
Canaria.
König was born in Dresden, where he sang in the
famous Kreuzchoir. He studied conducting, piano
and singing at the Musikhochschule Dresden and
furthered his studies in masterclasses with Sergiu
Celibidache and Sir Colin Davis, whose assistant
he later became with the Sächsische Staatskapelle
at the Semper Oper Dresden. His first professional
position was as First Kapellmeister at the Opera in
Bonn.
Dutch violinist Simone
Lamsma is respected
by critics,
peers and audiences
as one of classical
music’s most striking
and captivating musical
personalities.
Conductor Jaap van
Zweden, with whom
Lamsma enjoys a regular
collaboration,
describes her as one
of the leading violinists
in the world.
With an extensive repertoire of over 60 violin concertos,
recent seasons have seen her perform with many
of the world’s leading orchestras. Notable highlights
include her debut with the New York Philharmonic
under Jaap van Zweden as well as return invitations
to the Cleveland Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony,
Houston Symphony, and Royal Concertgebouw
Orchestra and debuts with the Royal Stockholm
Philharmonic, and National Symphony Orchestra,
among others.
Lamsma has worked with many eminent conductors
including Vladimir Jurowski, Sir Neville
Marriner, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Jukka-Pekka
Saraste, James Gaffigan, Sir Andrew Davis, Andrès
Orozco-Estrada, Jiří Bělohlávek, Marek
Janowski, Carlos Kalmar, and James Feddeck,
among others.
Lamsma began studying the violin at the age of
five and at age 11 moved to the United Kingdom
to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School with Professor
Hu Kun. At 14, she made her professional
solo debut with the North Netherlands Orchestra
performing Paganini’s First Violin Concerto. She
continued her studies at the Royal Academy of
Music in London with Professor Hu Kun and Professor
Maurice Hasson. In 2011, she was made an
Associate of the RAM, an honour given to those
students who have made significant and distinguished
contributions to their field. She currently
lives in The Netherlands.
Simone Lamsma plays the “Mlynarski” Stradivarius
(1718), on generous loan to her by an anonymous
benefactor.
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CHRISTOPH KÖNIG
Guest Conductor
SIMONE LAMSMA
Violin