»He is the forerunner of a new generation of lieder singers« (British Gramophone Magazine).

In 2016 Benjamin Appl received the Gramophone Award for ›New Artist of the Year 2016‹, in 2014, the BBC nominated him as a ›New Generation Artist‹ and between 2014 and 2016 as well as during the 2015/16 season, Benjamin Appl sang in the ›ECHO Rising Stars‹ series of song recitals, held in some of Europe’s most important concert halls. In May 2016 Benjamin Appl signed a long-term exclusive contract with Sony Classical. His Debut-CD ›Heimat‹ with songs by Schubert, Brahms, Strauss and Grieg, among others, was released in February 2017.

Benjamin Appl received his first voice training with the Regensburger Domspatzen. Alongside the successful completion of a Business Studies Degree, Appl also graduated with honours from the College of Music and Performing Arts in Munich as well as from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. As his last pupil, Appl was greatly influenced by the lieder-singing legend Dietrich Fischer-Diskau.

Benjamin Appl can be heard regularly in major concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall and at Schubertiads and song recitals in Schwarzenberg and Hohenems respectively. In addition, he has given many guest performances at international music festivals such as the Heidelberger Frühling, the Rheingau Music Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Piano Festival Ruhr and the Chicago Ravinia Festival.

Benjamin Appl has been teaching at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London since 2016. We are very pleased to welcome Benjamin Appl for his debut with the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen.

In recent years, Duncan Ward has established himself as one of the most exciting and versatile conductors of his generation, whose lively interpretations of the classical repertoire are praised as much as his interpretations of 20th century masterpieces. He has been chief conductor of the Philzuid (South Netherlands Philharmonic) since 2021. He also regularly conducts orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Finnish Radio Symphony and other renowned orchestras. His great passion for a very wide-ranging repertoire also leads to collaborations with ensembles for historical instruments such as Les Siècles or Balthasar Neumann as well as with specialists for contemporary music such as the Ensemble Modern or the Ensemble Intercontemporain.

The current season’s symphonic highlights include debuts with the Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Osaka Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique du Quebec and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra. In 2022, the conductor made his North American debut at the Metropolitan Opera with Mozart’s ›Die Zauberflöte‹. Duncan Ward opened the 2024/25 season with a critically acclaimed debut at the English National Opera and a new production of Britten’s ›Turn of the Screw‹. Since his youth, this versatile musician has been involved in many international social projects, including in India and South Africa. He has maintained a close relationship with the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen for many years.