Biography
Leopold Hager, born in Salzburg, Austria, studied conducting, organ, piano, harpsichord and composition at the famous Mozarteum in Salzburg. After first engagements in Mainz, Linz and Cologne he became General Music Director in Freiburg/Breisgau, then Principal Conductor of the Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg and, until 1996, Music Director of the RTL Symphony Orchestra Luxembourg. Numerous tours and concerts led and lead him all over Europe and America. He is
a frequent guest of many of the world's leading opera houses such as the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Semperoper Dresden, Metropolitan Opera New York, Lyric Opera Chicago, Royal Opera House Covent Garden London, Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, Opera Bastille Paris, to name but a few. He is closely collaborating with the Wiener Staatsoper where he conducts several weeks per year. Leopold Hager has worked with orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Staatskapelle Dresden, Bamberger Symphoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, Accademia di Santa Cecilia Roma, National Symphony Orchestra Washington, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Munich Philharmonic and NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg. When Leopold Hager first met the English Chamber Orchestra at the Würzburger Mozartfest back in 1988, a close relationship was established. He has since recorded numerous CDs with this orchestra, especially featuring works of Mozart and Mendelssohn. Highlights of the past season were concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic during the Mozartwoche Salzburg in January, as well as concerts with the Concertgebouw Orkest Amsterdam which led to his being invited to conduct this orchestra during the Vienna Festival. Major engagements of the season 2003/2004 include Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Opera Lyon (Fidelio), National Theatre Prague (Don Giovanni), MDR Sinfonieorchester, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lille (Strauss, Schubert), English Chamber Orchestra and Deutsche Oper Berlin (Rosenkavalier). His extensive discography includes all early operas and concert arias of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.