Antony Hermus

Conductor Antony Hermus has been equally active as an operatic and an orchestral conductor. Principal guest conductor of the North Netherlands Orchestra, he has led performances with major orchestras in the Netherlands and abroad, and he has conducted productions at major opera houses in several countries. Hermus was born in Oosterhout in 1973. He took up the piano at age six and studied with pianist Jacques de Tiège at the Tilburg Music Conservatory. Switching to conducting, he studied with Jac van Steen and Georg Fritzsch. In 2002, he became the music director of the Hagen Philharmonic Orchestra in Germany. He was named music director of Germany's Dessau Opera in 2009, where he earned three Conductor of the Year nominations from Opernwelt magazine. In 2015, he conducted a complete cycle of Wagner's Ring operas at Dessau before stepping down and being named honorary conductor. Hermus' repertory is large, including more than 200 orchestral works and 40 operas, and this has situated him well for guest conductorships in both fields. He has led, among many other symphonic groups, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the BBC Philharmonic. He has conducted operas at such prestigious houses as the Komische Oper Berlin, the Paris Opera, and Britain's Opera North. In addition to his North Netherlands Orchestra, Hermus has served as artistic advisor to the National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands. Hermus has led German orchestras including the Bamberg Symphony and the Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau in recordings for the CPO label, often featuring unusual German works such as the Symphony No. 4 of August Klughardt. In 2019, he conducted the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and violinist Linus Roth in a recording of violin concertos by Philipp Scharwenka, Eduard Lassen, and Rued Langgaard. This recording was part of the Hyperion label's "Romantic Piano Concerto" series. Hermus has taught at the Amsterdam Conservatory as a visiting professor. ~ James Manheim