Wolfgang Katschner - Händel: Der Messias (2014)

The German lutenist and conductor, Wolfgang Katschner, studied guitar at the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler Berlin and lute at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt am Main.

As conductor and artistic director of the ensembles Lautten Compagney and Capella Angelica, Wolfgang Katschner devotes himself primarily to sacred music of the 17th century and the performance of Baroque operas. In 2000 festival prize at the Dresden Music Festival and in 2004 the Handel Prize from the city of Halle. Performed with Lautten Compagney at numerous festivals such as the Rheingau Music Festival, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, Heidelberger Schlossfestspiele and the Kissinger Winterzauber. In 2002 musical director for Galuppi’s La Diavolessa at the Hans Otto Theatre Potsdam and in 2004 George Frideric Handel’s Alcina at the Cape Town Opera. In 2003 counducted G.F. Handel’s Teseo and in 2005 Amadigi as co- productions with the Handel Festival Halle, the Goethe Theatre Bad Lauchstädt, the Herrenhausen Festival in Hannover, the Bayreuth Baroque Festival and the Theatre Royal in the English town of Bury. In 2007 conducted L’Orfeo at the Halle opera house and Purcell’s King Arthur at the Handel Festival Halle, the Potsdam Sanssouci Music Festival, Bayreuth Baroque and at the Theatre Royal Bury St. Edmunds, as well as the revival of G.F. Handel’s Amadigi in Winterthur and Deidamia at the Landestheater Eisenach and in Weimar. Other concerts in Tel Aviv, at the Rheinsberg Chamber Opera and the Magdeburg Telemann Festival. In 2007 musical director for Pasticcio’s Il Pianto d'Orfeo in Berlin’s Radialsystem in a staged version with Kobie Van Rensburg and with choreography by Sasha Waltz & Guests.

For the winter semester 2008/2009 Wolfgang Katschner was appointed guest professor at the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler, where he is in charge of a production of the opera L'incoronazione di Poppea by Claudio Monteverdi.