Johannes Witt

BIO

Johannes Witt is a multi-faceted conductor with a rapidly growing international presence. He regularly appears at renowned opera houses across Europe, including the Wiener Staatsoper, Finnish National Opera, Norwegian National Opera, Czech National Theatre, Royal Danish Opera, Dutch National Opera, Staatstheater Stuttgart, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Oper Bonn, and many others, conducting a versatile range of works, from classical masterpieces to contemporary compositions.

As permanent conductor of the Aalto Theater Essen and the Oper Wuppertal, Johannes has built an extensive repertoire, leading productions such as »Salome«, »Ariadne auf Naxos«, »Erwartung«, »Der Wald«, »Madama Butterfly«, »La Bohème«, »Il Trovatore«, »Rigoletto«, »La Traviata«, »Il Barbiere di Siviglia«, »Norma«, »Faust«, »Werther«, »The Bartered Bride«, »Hänsel und Gretel«, »Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor«, »Die Csárdásfürstin«, »Das Land des Lächelns«, »Die Fledermaus«, »Eine Nacht in Venedig«, »Die Lustige Witwe«, »Don Giovanni«, »Così fan tutte«, »Die Zauberflöte«, »Orfeo ed Euridice«, »Cain, overo il primo omicidio«, amongst many others.
He led the German premieres of Salvatore Sciarrino's »Il canto s'attrista, perché?« and Christan Jost's »Heart Sutra«.

His concert repertoire spans from early baroque to contemporary compositions. He has collaborated with orchestras such as the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, WDR Funkhausorchester, Duisburger Philharmoniker, Essener Philharmoniker, Bremer Philharmoniker, Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn, Vanemuine Symphony Orchestra, and the Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, to name a few.

Johannes has conducted the core works of the classical ballet repertoire, including »Romeo and Juliet«, The »Nutcracker«, »Giselle«, »The Sleeping Beauty«, »Swan Lake« and »Onegin«.

A trained percussionist, Johannes studied orchestral conducting in Cologne and St. Petersburg.

He is the Artistic Director of the State Youth Orchestra of Hamburg, where he mentors talented young musicians, sharing his deep passion for music and his vision of nurturing artistic excellence in the next generation of musicians.

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»(...) Last but not least, there is a special praise from the critic (which was confirmed at the end by the audience's sudden standing ovations) for the highly talented man in front of the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra, namely Johannes Witt. An exceptional conductor who one should keep an eye on (...)«

(Alviano Salvago, DER OPERNFREUND)

press reviews

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»Salome«
Oper Wuppertal • 2024

» Under the direction of Johannes Witt, the Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal illuminates the extremes of the score. Strauss' music, which oscillates between lyrical moments and explosive outbursts, is presented with great precision and expressiveness. The tonal density that Witt creates underlines the intensity of the action and makes the nerve-wracking tension emanating from the stage tangible from the orchestra pit.«

(Dominik Lapp, KULTURFEDER, 14.10.2024)

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»La Traviata«
Oper Wuppertal • 2023

»Conductor Johannes Witt leads the Sinfonieorchester Orchester Wuppertal in an equally passionate and sensitive performance and accompanies the singers superbly.«

(Rudolf Hermes, DER OPERNFREUND, 16.03.2023)

»The Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal under the direction of Johannes Witt is masterful in the fine detailed piano passages as well as the emotional outbreaks of the score. And they leave the singers all the space they require.«

(Uli Rehwald, IOCO, 01.03.2023)

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»Werther«
Oper Wuppertal • 2022

»The singers can always rely on Johannes Witt, since the 2021/22 season 1. Kapellmeister at the Oper Wuppertal. Witt learned his craft from the ground up(…) his profound education and training is both audible and visible this evening. He elicits cultivated and transparent sounds from the orchestra, even in the forte passages. He meets the needs of the singers concerning dynamics and tempi with sensitivity, with the result that the singers can develop their parts in a free and very relaxed manner.«

(Hartmut Sassenhausen, O-TON 2022)

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»Onegin«
Vienna State Opera • 2021

»The Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper under the direction of the young German conductor Johannes Witt (…) who has conducted "Onegin" numerous times (...) played Tchaikovsky’s beautiful and often melancholic music with great expressiveness.«

(Sieglinde Pfabigan, DER NEUE MERKER, 01/2022)

»With the Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper (Johannes Witt) brought to life all emotions (…) with verve and sensitivity. He has a weakness for ballet and the music of Tchaikovsky. From „The Sleeping Beauty“ to „Onegin“, he has all famous ballets in his portfolio.«

(Ditta Rudle, WWW.TANZSCHRIFT.AT, 24.12.2021)

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»THE LAND OF SMILES«
Aalto Theater Essen • 2020

»Musically and dramaturgically, the staging and cast (...) are at an excellent level. (...) The Essen Philharmonic Orchestra under the experienced direction of Johannes Witt is outstanding.«

(Juan Carlos Tellechea, MUNDOCLASSICO, 09.01.2020)

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»A NIGHT IN VENICE«
Aalto Theater Essen • 2018

»Conductor Johannes Witt knows how to elicit Viennese wonders from the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra and can demonstrate the hit quality of every piece of music.«

(Annika Meyer, LITERATUR UND FEUILLETON, 07.06.2018)

»Musically, the performance is on a good level. Johannes Witt and the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra conjure up a veritable waltz from the orchestra pit and demonstrate that Strauss rightfully deserves the title »King of Waltz«.«

(Thomas Molke, ONLINE MUSIK MAGAZIN, 07.06.2018)

»The lively opera choir and the lively but also warm-hearted Essen Philharmonic Orchestra under Johannes Witt make happiness perfect.«

(Klaus Stübler, RUHRNACHRICHTEN, 04.06.2018)

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»SWAN LAKE«
Aalto Theater Essen • 2018

»The salt in the soup is the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra. With Johannes Witt, they ignite a suggestively glowing Tchaikovsky sound that remains in ones ear for a long time after leaving the opera house.«

(Michael-Georg Müller, WAZ/NRZ KULTUR, 28.01.2018)

»The more than 100 years old choreography of Petipa seems a little slow to us today. And Johannes Witt did not drive the Essen Philharmonic to fast tempi. What you heard were big, round Tchaikovsky sounds, fluid and sweet.«

(Julia Gass, RUHRNACHRICHTEN, 28.01.1018)

»Under the direction of Johannes Witt, the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra plays a supple Tchaikovsky, often held back in favor of precision, with dramatic power, where necessary.«

BIO