Swiss conductor Johannes Schlaefli is currently Artistic Director of the Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra and of the Alumni-Symphony-Orchestra Zürich. He is also Principal Guest Professor for the Conducting Classes at the Music Universities in Zürich and Frankfurt.

Johannes has enjoyed a long career as one of the most highly sought-after conducting teachers worldwide. He has worked with institutions such as the Sibelius Academy Helinski, the Juilliard-School New York, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival and many others. He also serves as Head of Teaching at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival Conducting Academy and works together with the prestigious “Dirigentenforum” in Germany as well as with the Norwegian “Dirigentloftet” in Oslo. As a guest professor, he has taught throughout Europe at the Music Universities of Vienna, Berlin, Leipzig, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Manchester, Copenhagen and Helsinki.

Students of his who have gone on to have major international careers include Mirga Grazinyté-Tyla, Patrick Lange, Philippe Bach, Christian Kluxen, Leo McFall, Corinna Niemeyer, Kerem Hasan, Nuno Coelho, Johanna Malangre and Delyana Lazarova.

Johannes Schlaefli was the co-founder of Basel Chamber Orchestra in 1984. From 1995-2013 he was chief conductor of Bern Chamber Orchestra before leading the Mannheim chamber orchestra as chief conductor from 2013-2019. Since 2018 he was chief conductor of the symphony orchestra “Collegium Musicum Basel” and will end his tenure in summer 2024.

As guest conductor, he has performed in his home country with orchestras such as the Tonhalleorchester Zürich, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana Lugano, symphony orchestras in Biel, Bern, St. Gallen, Lucerne, Kammerphilharmonie Chur, Zürich chamber orchestra and Argovia Philharmonic amongst others.

Internationally he has guest conducted the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Munich Radio Orchestra, Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra Ostrava, Philharmonia Prague, Allegra Festival Orchestra Sofia, Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, Symphony Orchestra Göttingen and Berlin Sinfonietta to name but a few.

Videos – Johannes Schlaefli