Manfred Honeck is regarded as one of the world’s leading conductors whose distinctive and pioneering interpretations have reaped wide international acclaim. The 2022/2023 season will be his fifteenth as Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Joint guest appearances regularly take the orchestra to the major music capitals as well as to the most important European festivals. Numerous recordings are testament to this successful collaboration.
Born in Austria, he completed his musical education at Vienna College of Music. He began his career as assistant to Claudio Abbado, then went to the Opernhaus Zürich as Principal Conductor, where he was awarded the European Conductor’s Prize. After positions with the MDR Sinfonieorchester and Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, he was appointed Music Director of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra Stockholm. From 2007 to 2011, Manfred Honeck served as General Music Director of the Staatsoper Stuttgart. He has also been Artistic Director of the International Wolfegger Concerts for more than twenty-five years.
As a guest conductor, Manfred Honeck has been on the podium of leading international orchestras, including the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, the Wiener Philharmoniker, London Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, Accademia di Santa Cecilia Rome and all the major American orchestras.