A seasoned conductor in both the operatic and symphonic worlds, Asher Fisch is especially celebrated for his interpretative command of core German and Italian repertoire of the Romantic and post-Romantic era, in particular Wagner, Brahms, Strauss, and Verdi. Mr. Fisch also conducts a wide variety of other repertoire from Gluck to contemporary works, and serves as an advocate of living composers such as Avner Dorman and others.
In 2014, Mr. Fisch became the Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO). His former posts include Principal Guest Conductor of the Seattle Opera (2007-2013), where he concluded his tenure conducting the Opera's quadrennial Wagner Ring Cycle in summer 2013, Music Director of the New Israeli Opera (1998-2008), and the Wiener Volksoper (1995-2000). Mr. Fisch has long maintained strong and enduring ties to the Bayerische Staatsoper (Munich) and in the 2015-16 season conducts five titles including Massanet's Werther, Puccini's La bohème, Manon Lescaut and Turandot, Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer.
He also returns to the Teatro Regio di Torino to conduct Bizet's Carmen. Guest symphony orchestra engagements include the Melbourne Symphony, Staatskapelle Dresden, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe, Nashville Symphony (debut), Milwaukee Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra. Born in Israel, Mr. Fisch began his conducting career as Daniel Barenboim’s assistant and kappellmeister at the Berlin Staatsoper. He made his United States debut at the Los Angeles Opera in 1995, and has since conducted at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, and San Francisco Opera.
A regular guest at leading European opera houses, Mr. Fisch has conducted all the major German and Austrian opera houses including Berlin, Munich, Dresden, Leipzig, Vienna, Milan's Teatro alla Scala, Paris Opera, the Royal Opera House, and Covent Garden. Among North American symphony orchestras, Mr. Fisch has conducted those of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Seattle, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Houston, St. Louis, Montreal, Toronto, and the National Symphony in Washington, D.C. In Europe he has appeared at the Berlin Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Gewandhaus Orchestra, and Orchestre National de France, among others. Australia was first introduced to Mr. Fisch through his appearance conducting the State Opera of South Australia's Wagner Ring Cycle in 2005 in Adelaide, which won ten Helpmann Awards, Australian's premiere music prize, including best opera and best music direction. A live recording of this production was subsequently released to rave reviews.
In 2015 Mr. Fisch's second recording of Wagner's Ring Cycle, with the Seattle Opera, was released on the Melba label. Most recently he performed: Fedora at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples and Carmen at the Teatro Regio in Turin .
Mr. Fisch is also an accomplished pianist and released his first solo disc of Wagner piano transcriptions in 2012 on Melba. He often play-conducts, and frequently participates in chamber music and vocal recitals.
Plans include productions in München (Der Fliedenge Höllander; La Traviata); Perth; Sydney, Tokyo, Stuttgart, New York (Tristan und Isolde); Tourin (Die zauberflöte) and Madrid (Capriccio).
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