Johannes Fritzsch

Who is Johannes Fritzsch?

Johannes Fritzsch is a German conductor. His father, a cantor and organist, was his first music teacher, in piano and organ. Later, he studied violin and trumpet. He attended the Carl Maria von Weber Music Academy in Dresden, studying conducting, piano and trumpet.

In 1982, Fritzsch took his first conducting post, as second Kapellmeister at the Rostock Volkstheater, where his conducting duties included the first East German performances of Hans Werner Henze's The English Cat in 1986. From 1987 to 1992, Fritzsch was a Kapellmeister with the Staatsoper Dresden, Semperoper.

From 1992 to 1993, he was first Kapellmeister at the Staatsoper Hannover. From 1993 to 1999, he served as music director and chief conductor at the Städtische Bühnen and the Philharmonisches Orchester in Freiburg. He was Generalmusikdirektor of the Staatsoper Nürnberg in the 2005-2006 season. In Austria, he became chief conductor of the Graz Philharmonic Orchestra and the Graz Opera in 2006. In January 2013, Fritzsch resigned his Graz posts, effective at the end of January 2013.

Fritzsch made his first conducting appearance in Australia in 1992 for an Opera Australia production of Hänsel und Gretel.