On the basis of his exceptional musicality and knowledge of the repertoire in all epochs and with his big conducting abilities Dorian Keilhack belongs to the rare conductors, where a composer in our times is in the best hands.” Aribert Reimann, the German international well known Composer, writes about the conductor Dorian Keilhack.
Conductor and Pianist Dorian Keilhack comes out of a family of musicians, whose roots are laid in Germany, Austria, Czech and Israel.
After studies in piano and conducting at the universities of Nuremberg, Freiburg and the famous Juilliard School New York (teachers among many were Werner Andreas Albert, Otto Werner Müller, Ulrich Weder) he got different musical impulses from Leon Fleisher, Christoph Eschenbach and Georg Schmöhe.
After different prizes at international piano competitions Keilhack first started a pianist career, which brought him through Europe, South and North America. As a soloist he played with orchestras like Gewandhaus Leipzig, MDR Radio Symphony, BBC Welsh Symphony, and Krakow Philharmonic, Jenaer Philharmonic, Dortmund Philharmonic.
1998/99 Dorian Keilhack was coach at the State theatre Nuremberg. 1999 Intendantin Brigitte Fasbaender and music director Georg Schmöhe engaged him as assistant of the music director, coach and conductor (“Kapellmeister”). There he conducted operas, operetta and musical. As specialist of New Music he was leading al lot of contempory operas, was sent to Salzburg and Vienna, to conduct different productions.
From 2005 to 2008 Dorian Keilhack worked at the Erfurt Opera. There he was Kapellmeister and chief coach.
In 2003 the Tirol Ensemble for New Music elected him to its new music director. He and his ensemble were heard in Austria and abroad with works of the 20th and 21st century. The Augenspieltheater Hall invited him ad his ensemble to perform Oedipus Rex of Stravinsky, which got the prize of the best opera production of the year by the Austrian government.
2008 he started First “Kapellmeister” at the theatre Bern, Switzerland, conducting operas like Rosenkavalier, Un Ballo Mascara, Eugen Onegin, Tosca, Don Giovanni, etc. In the same year he had his debut at the Zürich Festival with the orchestra “Collegium Novum Zürich”.
Since 2001 he was conducting different orchestras like Regensburg, Lübeck, Mannheim, Schwerin, Meiningen, Chemnitz, Mönchengladbach, Aachen, Bonn, Vogtland and Würzburg Philharmonic. In the last years his repertoire grew to over 80 operas and the main symphonic repertoire.
2009 he jumped in with the Würzburg Orchestra, to conduct a concert at the international Mozart Festival Würzburg. In May 2010 he gave his Debut with the “Niederschlesisches Staatsorchester” in Jelenia Gora, Poland. In the same year “Der göttliche Tivoli” of Per Norgard with Dorian Keilhack conducting was released on CD.
In May 2013 he had his debut with the New Philharmony Munich and toured Italy with them .and concerts with the Collegium Musicum Pommersfelden and the chamber orchestra of Gauting, which elected him as music director.
In 2014 to 2016 he was repeatedly invited as guest conductor of the Vogtland Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2016 and 2017 he led the „Internationale Junge Orchesterakademie“ in several concerts through Germany. The results were two CDs with works by (Brahms 1st and 4th Symphony, Reger,Strauss, Wagner). The Interharmony festival invited him to Italy to conduct a production of Mozarts „Il Nozze di Figaro“. When the concert conductor at the same festival had to cancel because of illness he jumped in with Sibelius 2nd Symphony. After the celebrated opera and concert he at once was appointed chief conductor oft he Festival 2017. There he had numerous concert with the Interharmony Festival Orchestra with works like 5th Symphony, Dvorak 9th Symphony and Tschaikowsky 6th Symphony. The same year he had his Debut with the Archangel Chamber orchestra in Russia.
In November 2017-he was invited in Taiwan for masterclasses and an opera concert.
Among many engagements invitations for 2018 are a tour to Columbia with the Orquesta Sinfonica de la Academia Colombiana de la Musica and a tour to Mexico with the Orquesta Sinfonica Sinalao de las Artes.
In 2014 Dorian Keilhack was appointed music director of the opera school and Professor for conducting at the Conservatory Innsbruck. In that year he also started as music director of the Camerata Franconia, an international chamber orchestra of 40 people. With opera company he conducted Mozart’s „La Finta Giardiniera“, Humperdinck’s „Hänsel und Gretel“ , Purcell’s
„Dido and Aeneas“ and Oscar Strauss’ „Die lustigen Nibelungen“.
After a fulminant Debut at the „Musikverein Wien“ with the Vogtland Philharmonie Dorian Keilhack is appointed chief conductor of this orchestra starting in the season 2020/2021. Meanwhile in 2019/2020 he will be 1st guest conductor there.
His Camerata Franconia he will be conducting in China in a tour of 6 concerts over New Year 2019/20.
Next to his engagements Dorian Keilhack regularly functions as a jury member of many national and international competitions.
