Ultraschall Berlin

The “now” is always different, always in flux – Bas Wiegers

Bas Wiegers is one of the most exciting conductors at the cutting edge of contemporary music with his captivating energy and great openness. As a guest of European symphony orchestras, soloist ensembles and opera houses, he confidently spans the spectrum from the Baroque to the music of today.

It is precisely this programmatic breadth that is also reflected in his work as Associated Conductor of the Munich Chamber Orchestra – with works ranging from Haydn to Weill and Dutilleux to the world premieres of new concertos by Márton Illés and Chaya Czernowin. In the course of the 2023/24 season, Bas Wiegers also conducted subscription concerts of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for the first time; he also made his debut with the Belgian National Orchestra, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (Claudio Abbado Concerto) and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra.

In his native Netherlands, Bas Wiegers has worked with all the major orchestras. He has also made guest appearances with the SWR Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Cologne Opera, Bern Theatre, Britten Sinfonia, Ensemble Modern and SWR Vokalensemble. With Klangforum Wien, whose first guest conductor he was until summer 2022, the projects AMOPERA – a dystopian ballad directed by Jan Lauwers at the Tiroler Festspiele Erl and Umbruch with Thomas Hampson based on songs by Mahler and Ives were premiered under his direction.

Bas Wiegers is often and gladly invited back. He has conducted several times at the Opéra national de Lorraine (Britten, Mozart) and at the Klagenfurt Theatre (Haas, Sciarrino) and is present at festivals such as November Music, Holland Festival, Wiener Festwochen, Prague Spring Festival, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Aldeburgh Music Festival, Ruhrtriennale and Acht Brücken in Cologne.

Bas Wiegers has worked closely with composers such as Georges Aperghis, Georg Friedrich Haas, Helmut Lachenmann, Salvatore Sciarrino and Rebecca Saunders.

In the context of current projects, Bas Wiegers regularly enters the treasure trove of scores for his listeners with his podcast The Treasure Hunt and provides a very personal insight into his working process as a conductor.

Following his musical training in Amsterdam and Freiburg, Bas Wiegers initially dedicated himself to his successful career as a violinist specialising in historical performance practice. He was awarded the Kersjes Foundation Conducting Scholarship, followed by assistantships with Mariss Jansons and Susanna Mälkki at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra – and ultimately the decision to concentrate fully on conducting.