Christian Erny
Swiss conductor Christian Erny has earned recognition for his stylistic versatility, imaginative programming, and a precise and committed rehearsal approach. He is increasingly establishing himself on international stages – successfully in both the symphonic and the vocal repertoire.
As founder and artistic director of the Zurich Chamber Singers, he and his ensemble were described by concerti.de (2022) as «a rising star of the international choral scene». In 2025, pizzicato.lu praised his Mozart recording with the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, calling him «the perfect servant of the music».
Recent highlights include his debut with the Musikkollegium Winterthur, conducting the world premiere of Alfred Felder’s opera Walpurgisnacht, as well as the world premiere, tour, and first recording of Paul Mealor’s choral opera The Light of Paradise for 16 voices and saxophone quartet. The recording was nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award (Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, January 2025). Just a month later, his Mozart recording with the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen received another nomination for the same award.
Christian has conducted the Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester Mannheim, Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn, Savaria Symphony Orchestra, CHAARTS Chamber Artists, Morphing Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of Europe, Bavarian Radio Choir, Sofia Philharmonic, Ruse Philharmonic, and the Junge Philharmonie Zentralschweiz. He made his opera debut in 2019 at the Lucerne Theater.
In the 2025/26 season he will make his debut with the Argovia Philharmonic, leading a tour with Mozart’s Requiem and Schubert’s «Unfinished» Symphony, and he will return to the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen and the Savaria Symphony Orchestra. With the Zurich Chamber Singers he curates a four-part season entitled «Metamorphosis», which will take the ensemble to the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Sendesaal Bremen, and the autumn edition of Klosters Music. Two new works by Swiss composers David Philip Hefti and Dieter Jordi will be premiered in this context.
Christian‘s wide repertoire ranges from Renaissance polyphony up to contemporary opera. A particular focus lies on large-scale choral-symphonic works, contemporary music, and Viennese Classicism, especially Mozart. Still at an early stage in his career, he has already conducted more than ten world premieres and collaborated with composers such as Caroline Shaw, Paul Mealor, Burkhard Kinzler, Alfred Felder, David Philip Hefti, Dieter Jordi, Patrick Brennan, Rhiannon Randle, and Kevin Hartnett. His discography to date includes more than ten CDs released on labels such as Berlin Classics, Ars Produktion, Aparté, and Solo Musica.
Christian Erny’s musical background is unusually diverse: from an early age he played several instruments, received training as a choral singer at the Conservatory of Winterthur, and was also active as the singer and songwriter of a rock band. He studied piano, conducting, and music theory at the Zurich University of the Arts, the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, and the Lucerne University. He first pursued a successful career as a pianist: his recordings of Debussy, Liszt, and Lourié were awarded, among others, the Gramophone Editor’s Choice and were repeatedly nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award. He is a prizewinner of the International Piano Competition Île-de-France, with concert appearances in Europe, the USA, and South America. His versatility, musical imagination, and insatiable curiosity ultimately led him to devote himself entirely to conducting.
In 2019 he received the Cultural Promotion Prize of his hometown Winterthur. Since 2020 he has been a lecturer at the Hochschule für Musik Basel FHNW. As a guest, he has taught at the Scala Arts Concerto Camp in Vienna, the Renaissance Arts Academy in Los Angeles, and the Colegio Suizo in Santiago de Chile.
A keen writer and passionate communicator, he curates the monthly email newsletter Musica Veneris, where he explores a wide range of musical topics and engages a large and dedicated readership.
He is a passionate amateur cook and enjoys photography and contemporary art in his free time. He lives in Winterthur, Switzerland.