Cornelius Meister (born 23 February 1980 in Hanover, Germany)
1985–1986
Preschool for gifted children
1986–1990
Friesenschule (now: Johanna-Friesen-Grundschule) Hanover
1990–1992
Orientation level Lüerstraße
1992–1996
Kaiser-Wilhelm- und Ratsgymnasium (grammar school specialising in classical languages)
starting in the early eighties piano lessons with his father, Prof. Konrad Meister, and mother, Anne Hammann-Meister
1984-1994
cello lessons with Prof. Konrad Haesler
1986-1993
choir of the Hanover Music School with Karin Mehlig
1989-1992
synthesizer and electronic music with George A. Speckert at the Hanover Music School
from 1997
conducting trainee at the Hanover State Opera and with the NDR Radiophilharmonie
1998
musical assistant to conductor Martin Brauß at the world premiere of the opera London under Siege by David Wilde, a co-production of the Hanover State Opera and Hanover University of Music and Drama (now: Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media)
2001
musical assistant to conductor Hans Urbanek for the new production of Richard Strauss’s Elektra at the Hanover State Opera
2004
musical assistant to conductor Pierre Boulez for the new production of the Bühnenweihfestspiel Parsifal by Richard Wagner at the Bayreuth Festival
1996–2003
studied at the Hanover University of Music and Drama (now: Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media) with Prof. Konrad Meister (piano), Prof. Martin Brauß and Prof. Eiji Ōue (conducting), Prof. Jan Schroeder (French horn), Prof. Konrad Haesler (cello), Prof. Dr. Peter Schnaus and Prof. Dr. Arnfried Edler (musicology), Prof. Dr. Ulrich Pothast (philosophy), Prof. Martin Brauß and Prof. Frank Märkel (music theory)
2000–2001
studied at the Mozarteum University Salzburg with Prof. Dennis Russell Davies, Prof. Jorge Rotter (orchestral conducting) and Prof. Karl Kamper (choral conducting)
2001
degree as piano teacher at the Hanover University of Music an Drama (now: Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media)
2003
degree as conductor at the Hanover University of Music an Drama (now: Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media)
As of 2018
Music Director of Stuttgart State Opera and Stuttgart State Orchestra
2017-2020
Principal Guest Conductor of Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra Tokyo
2010-2018
Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO Wien)
2005–2012
Music Director at the Theatre and of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the City of Heidelberg
2003–2005
initially conductor, later Second Kapellmeister at the Hanover State Opera
2001–2002
principal rehearsal pianist with conducting duties and assistant to the Music Director at the Erfurt Theatre
1999–2003
conductor of the Hanover Youth Orchestra (JSO Hannover)
2024
Germany's Soccer Champion (German Theatre Championship) with the team of Stuttgart Staatstheater
2023
International Classical Music Award in the "Video: Opera" category (for Hans Abrahamsen's opera "The Snow Queen" at the Bavarian State Opera with the Bavarian State Orchestra)
2022
Gramophone Award in the "Contemporary" category (for Hans Abrahamsen's opera "The Snow Queen" at the Bavarian State Opera with the Bavarian State Orchestra)
2020
Sonderpreis Innovation of the Deutsche Orchesterstiftung (German Orchestras Foundation) for the Stuttgart State Orchestra
2018
OPUS KLASSIK in the "conductor of the year" category
2018
Diapason d'or for the DVD "Jules Massenet: Werther" (Opera Zurich, together with Tatjana Gürbaca, Juan Diego Florez, Anna Stéphany a.o.)
2018
Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, Bestenliste for the DVD "Jules Massenet: Werther" (Opera Zurich, together with Tatjana Gürbaca, Juan Diego Florez, Anna Stéphany a.o.)
2018
International Classical Music Award (ICMA) in the "symphonic recording" category for "Bohuslav Martinů: The Symphonies" with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra
2016
International Opera Award in the "best production" category for "Peter Grimes" at the Theater an der Wien
2014
Bank Austria Kunstpreis in the “arts education” category together with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra
2012
conductor’s prize at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival
2010
1st prize at the Competition for the Music Day of the German Music Council together with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the City of Heidelberg for “Rap it like Heidelberg”
2007
junge Ohren prize together with the Theatre and Philharmonic Orchestra of the City of Heidelberg for “Das neue Wunderhorn“
2007
prize for the “Best concert programme” from the German Music Publishers’ Association
2006
inclusion in the list “100 Köpfe von morgen”
2003–2007
fellow of the conductor’s forum of the German Music Council. Inclusion in the artists list “Maestros von morgen”
2003
3rd prize at the Hochschulwettbewerb Dirigieren
2001
fellow of the Deutsche Bank Stiftung's Akademie Musiktheater heute
2000
prize from the foundation Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben at the German Music Competition together with his duo partner, clarinetist Clemens Trautmann. Inclusion in the federal selection of concerts of young artists, held by the German Music Council
1998
Radeberger Förderpreis of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival and audience prize, together with his duo partner, clarinetist Clemens Trautmann
1998
fellow of the Bayreuther Festspiele acting on a proposal from the Richard Wagner Society Hanover
from 1996
scholarship holder from the foundation Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben
from 1997
scholarship holder from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation
1996
1st prize at the Southwest German Chamber Music Competition, together with his duo partner, clarinetist Clemens Trautmann
1996
1st prizes at the regional and state competition and 2nd prize at the federal competition Jugend musiziert in the piano solo category. 1st prize in the piano accompaniment category
1994
1st prizes at the regional and state competition Jugend musiziert in the piano solo category. 1st prize in the piano accompaniment category
1992
1st prizes at the regional and state competition and 2nd prize at the federal competition Jugend musiziert in the piano solo category. 1st prize in the piano accompaniment category
1990
1st prizes at the regional and state competition Jugend musiziert in the piano solo category
1988
1st prize at the regional competition Jugend musiziert in the piano solo category
1986
1st prize at the regional competition Jugend musiziert in the piano solo categor
2025
Frankfurt Radio Symphony
2024
Palau de les Arts València with the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana
Wiener Symphoniker
2023
Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Prague Spring Festival
WDR Sinfonieorchester
Athens State Orchestra
2022
Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest
Dutch National Opera
KBS Symphony Orchestra (former National Symphony Orchestra of Korea) in Seoul Arts Center
Orquesta nacional de España
Bayreuther Festspiele (Bayreuth Festival)
Elbphilharmonie with NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester
2021
Belgian National Orchestra
Opéra de Paris (Oper)
2020
Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse
Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg
2019
Orchestre national de France
Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker
The Metropolitan Opera with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra
2018
Filarmonica della Scala Mailand
2017
Orchestre national de Lyon
Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO)
Glyndebourne Festival Opera (GFO) with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO)
Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai
2016
Vlaamse Opera Antwerp and Ghent with the Symfonisch Orkest Opera Vlaanderen
Stuttgart SWR Symphony Orchestra
2015
Teatro alla Scala di Milano
Orchestra La Scintilla Zurich
Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe
Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra New York
Romanian National Radio Orchestra at the Enescu Festival Bucharest
Iceland Symphony Orchestra Reykjavik
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
2014
Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Rome
National Symphony Orchestra Washington
Orchestre de Paris
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Royal Opera House Covent Garden London
Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra Tokyo
musikprotokoll at the Steirischer Herbst festival
2013
Ensemble intercontemporain Paris
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich
Latvian National Symphony Orchestra
2012
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam
Semperoper Dresden with the Saxon State Orchestra
Danish National Symphony Orchestra Copenhagen
Zurich Opera House
Vienna State Opera
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
2011
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Swedish Radio Symphony Stockholm
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Salzburg Festival
2010
Theater an der Wien
Royal Opera House Copenhagen
2009
Düsseldorfer Symphoniker
Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra
San Francisco Opera
Deutsche Oper Berlin
Bamberg Symphony
2008
Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO)
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Dresdner Philharmonie
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra Manchester
Philharmonisches Orchester Essen
Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester
Latvian National Opera
Tiroler Landestheater with the Symphony Orchestra Innsbruck
Frankfurt Opera House and Museum’s Orchestra
2007
Orchestre de l’Opéra de Paris
Theater Basel with the Symphony Orchestra Basel
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
MDR Symphony Orchestra
NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover
NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg
Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, Lisbon with the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa
Bielefelder Philharmoniker
2006
Stuttgart State Opera with Württembergisches Staatsorchester Stuttgart
New National Theatre Tokyo with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra
Heidelberg Castle Festival (Heidelberger Schlossfestspiele)
Lübecker Philharmoniker
Staatskapelle Weimar
Beethoven Orchestra Bonn
Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz
2005
Grazer Philharmonisches Orchester
Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern
Leipzig Opera with the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester
Gürzenich Orchestra at Cologne Opera House
2004
Osnabrücker Symphonieorchester
Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen
Heidelberg Theatre (now: Theatre and Philharmonic Orchestra of the City of Heidelberg) with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the City of Heidelberg
Bavarian State Opera Munich with the Bavarian State Orchestra
2003
Komische Oper Berlin
Niedersächsische Staatsoper Hannover with the Niedersächsisches Staatsorchester
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg (now: Hamburg Philharmonic)
Hamburg Symphony Orchestra
Nuremberg Philharmonic Orchestra at the Staatstheater Nürnberg
2002
Hamburgische Staatsoper (now: Hamburg State Opera)
2001
Orchestra of the Mozarteum University Salzburg
Theater Erfurt with the Philharmonisches Orchester Erfurt
1999
Jugendsinfonieorchester Hannover (now: Junges Sinfonieorchester Hannover)
Ensemble musica viva Hannover
1998
Gehrdener Kammerorchester
Richard-Wagner-Verband Hannover
Freundin des RSO Wien
Richard-Wagner-Verband Stuttgart
Member of the German Academy of the Performing Arts
Member of the Stiftungsrat of Hans und Gertrud Zender-Stiftung
Richard-Wagner-Verband Wien

Cornelius Meister was baptized in 1980 and confirmed at Dreifaltigkeitskirche Hanover in 1994.
Cornelius Meister has been married to the singer Katharina Sellschopp-Meister since 2006. They have three children.
Hobbies
mountaineering, swimming, canoeing, running, cycling; history, law; jazz and improvising