ThomasSøndergård

Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård is Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra and Music Director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The 2026/27 season marks his final season as Music Director of the RSNO, before becoming Music Director Emeritus in 2027/28. He previously served as the orchestra’s Principal Guest Conductor for six seasons. From 2012 to 2018, he was Principal Conductor of BBC National Orchestra of Wales, following his tenure as Principal Conductor and Musical Advisor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra.

In 2026/27, Thomas continues his work with both the Minnesota Orchestra and RSNO, alongside guest engagements across Europe. He returns to the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln with Benjamin Grosvenor and to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with Alina Ibragimova. At the Royal Danish Opera, he conducts performances of Verdi’s Falstaff, continuing his long-standing relationship with the company.

Thomas Søndergård has appeared with most of Europe’s leading orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Orchestre National de France, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. A familiar figure across Scandinavia, he has worked with the Oslo Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Helsinki Philharmonic. In North America, his engagements have included the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, Cleveland Orchestra and the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Cincinnati, Baltimore, St Louis, Toronto, Atlanta, Montréal, Vancouver, Houston and Seattle.

Opera has formed an important part of Thomas Søndergård’s career, with regular engagements at the Royal Danish Opera and collaborations with Staatsoper Stuttgart, Norwegian Opera, Royal Swedish Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper and Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he conducted the world premiere of Scartazzini’s Edward II.

A committed advocate of Scandinavian repertoire, Thomas has a particular affinity with the music of Carl Nielsen and Jean Sibelius. His discography spans Scandinavian, contemporary and core symphonic repertoire, with recordings on the Royal Danish Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, RSNO and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. His debut recording with the Minnesota Orchestra, featuring Thomas Adès’s The Exterminating Angel Symphony & Violin Concerto with Leila Josefowicz, was shortlisted for the 2026 Gramophone Awards.