About
Howard Griffiths is an internationally active British-Swiss conductor with a worldwide reputation. His collaborations with today’s most renowned orchestras, soloists and composers has attracted as much enthusiasm and attention as his commitment to talented young artists and charitable causes.
Born in England, Howard Griffiths studied at the Royal College of Music in London and has lived with his family in Switzerland since 1981. From 1996 to 2006, he was Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra (ZKO). During this time he broke new ground and significantly continued its tradition in many respects. From 2007 to 2018, Howard Griffiths was General Music Director of the Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt. Both directorships were extremely successful, which was reflected in extensive tours of Europe, the USA and China, award-winning CD recordings, pioneering projects in the field of music education and youth work, as well as in the expansion of the regular audience and an extraordinary response from audiences and the press.
Worldwide engagements as a guest conductor with leading orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Deutsches Sinfonieorchester Berlin and various German radio orchestras, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, the Orqesta Nacional de España, the Orchestre National de France, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and many others round off his career as an internationally recognised conductor. His regular commitment to contemporary music and his close collaboration with composers such as Sofia Gubaidulina, Arvo Pärt and Hans Werner Henze make him a versatile and sought-after artist. Howard Griffiths has performed with numerous renowned artists such as Sir James Galway, Mischa Maisky, Maurice André, Güher and Süher Pekinel, Maria João Pires, Mikhail Pletnev, Vadim Repin, Fazil Say, Gil Shaham and many more.
Almost 200 CD recordings on labels such as Warner, Universal, CPO, Sony and Alpha Classics bear witness to Howard Griffiths' broad artistic spectrum. They include many premier recordings of works by present day composers and more than 60 symphonies by contemporaries of Beethoven and the early Romantic period. In addition to numerous awards, his recordings of all four Brahms symphonies in particular have received great praise: "Such flights of fancy are [...] only possible with an orchestra that performs at the highest level and is on a basis of trust with the conductor." (radioswissclassic)
During his years as General Music Director of the Brandenburg State Orchestra, he was particularly committed to working with up-and-coming young soloists and was very engaged in the field of musical education of children and young people. Both soon became his "trademark". Crossover education projects earned the orchestra the special "Innovative Orchestra"-Award from the German Orchestra Foundation in 2018. Also his four award-winning children's books, published by Swiss music publisher Hug Musikverlag, have attracted a great deal of attention.
In addition to his international guest appearances, Howard Griffiths is currently devoting himself enthusiastically to the recording of the complete solo concertos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Camille Saint-Saëns with particularly talented young soloists from the Orpheum Foundation, for which he was responsible as Artistic Director for 24 years.
In the annual "New Year's Honours List" announced by Queen Elizabeth II on New Year's Day, Howard Griffiths was made a "Member of the British Empire" (MBE) in 2006. He was also honoured with the Order of Merit of the State of Brandenburg for his artistic achievements and social commitment during his time with the Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt.