Jonathan Stockhammer is one of the most versatile conductors of the younger generation and combines a broad experience in the field of contemporary music with a unique and impassioned approach to the classical symphonic and opera repertoire. He has worked with such renowned orchestras and opera companies as Los Angeles Philharmonic, Opéra de Lyon, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France as well as Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

In the season of 2007/2008, Jonathan Stockhammer will conduct the Orchestra of the Opéra de Lyon in two concerts at the Philharmonie Essen, including a concert performance of Dusapin's Faustus, the last night, and return to the SWR Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart and the MDR Symphony Orchestra Leipzig. He will appear at the New Zealand International Arts Festival for the first time, where he will conduct the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in several performances of Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins and The Lindbergh Flight. At the Adelaide Festival of Arts, he will make his debut with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in two concerts.

Highlights of season 2006/2007 were Jonathan Stockhammer's two performances at the Philharmonie Berlin, conducting Ensemble Resonanz during the Musikfest Berlin, and his debut with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin in a programme of the European premiere of Toshio Hosokawa's Skyscape and the world premiere of Notte di Pasqua by Frank Michael Beyer with soloist Tabea Zimmermann as well as Debussy's Jeux and Stravinsky's Petroushka. An invitation to lead Dusapin's Faustus, the last night at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris followed the highly successful premiere of this production at the Opéra de Lyon. The Faustus-DVD was awarded the prestigious Victoire de la musique, Prix Choc and Prix François Reichenbach. Jonathan Stockhammer returned to Lyon for new productions of Zemlinsky's A Florentine Tragedy and Sciarrino's Luci mie traditrici. He conducted the MDR Symphony Orchestra to rave reviews at a New Year's concert in the Leipzig Gewandhaus in a programme of Dvorak, Smetana and Suk as well as the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin during the Ultraschall Festival, and he made his Sydney Symphony debut with soloists Chick Corea and Gary Burton in two sold-out appearances at the Sydney Opera House.

Opera comprises a central part of Jonathan Stockhammer's musical activities. He has been a regular guest at the Opéra de Lyon since his first appearance there in 1998, and has also returned every season since 2004 to Norway's Opera Vest. This summer, he leads Opéra Vest in performances of Nyman's The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat. In past seasons, he led, to great acclaim, productions of Carmen at the Freiburg Theater, Dreigroschenoper at Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Poppe Interzone in Berlin, Turnage Twice Through the Heart in Oslo and Krouse Lorca, Child of the Moon in Los Angeles.

After having completed composition and conducting studies in his home city of Los Angeles, Jonathan Stockhammer resettled in Germany, where he became immersed in the unique ensemble culture, conducting the Ensemble Modern, musikfabrik nrw and Ensemble Recherche amongst others. His explorations into the rock/pop genre have included Greggery Peccary & OtherPersuasions, a CD with works by Frank Zappa with Ensemble Modern released on RCA, which was honoured with an Echo Klassik award, and performances and the recording of a new soundtrack to Sergei Eisensteins's 1925 film The Battleship Potemkin composed by and performed with the Pet Shop Boys and the Dresdner Sinfoniker.

Season 2007/2008