Building Bridges Between Tradition and Avant-Garde

Titus Engel is a visionary conductor. Born in Zurich in 1975, his versatility and curiosity bring fresh perspectives to both classical and contemporary music. Engel is based in Berlin and is passionate about innovative concert formats.

Engel studied philosophy and musicology in Zurich and Berlin. He mastered his craft as a conductor in Dresden, where he made his operatic debut in 2000. Since then, he has made countless appearances as a guest conductor across Europe and the US, including at Madrid’s Teatro Real, where in 2014 he led an acclaimed world premiere of Charles Wuorinen’s opera Brokeback Mountain. In 2020, he was named Conductor of the Year by Germany’s Opernwelt magazine. Since 2023, Engel has served as Principal Conductor of the Basel Sinfonietta, the world’s only symphony orchestra dedicated exclusively to contemporary music.

Through programmes that interweave old and new music, Engel appeals to a wide audience. “The standard repertoire is far too limited, we urgently need to explore new frontiers,” he remarked in an interview. Engel builds bridges between tradition and the avant-garde—and brings unexpected musical connections to light with his precise and sensitive conducting.