Artist portrait: Omer Meir Wellber
Israeli conductor Omer Meir Wellber is this year’s portrait artist at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. The 40-year-old is one of the most talented conductors of his generation. Born in the Israeli city of Be'er Scheva, he began piano and accordion lessons at the age of five. Conducting and composition studies in Jerusalem and time as assistant to Daniel Barenboim ultimately led to a stellar career that has included appearances with orchestras like the Filarmonica della Sca-la, the Orchestre de Paris and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. He is currently Principal Con-ductor of the BBC Philharmonic, Music Director of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo and Principal Guest Conductor of the Semperoper Dresden.
In September 2022, Omer Meir Wellber will take over as conductor at the Volksoper in Vienna. His appearances on SHMF stages include not only the conductor’s podium, but he will also appear as a soloist on the accordion, harpsichord, grand piano and in musical readings – he is currently working on his third book. For his artist portrait, which he placed under the motto Friendship, he has put together a very lively and var-ied program with a total of 14 concerts. These include major symphonic works, chamber music, chansons, a melodrama, a four-hand piano recital and musical readings. He will conduct the BBC Philharmonic, the string ensemble of the Volksoper Wien, and he will also lead a working session with the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra. Omer Meir Wellber has invited many musical friends to his concerts: Israeli mandolinist Jacob Reuven, pianists Fazıl Say and Daniel Ciobanu, violist Amihai Grosz, cellist Steven Isserlis, soprano Einat Aronstein, and actors Dominique Horwitz and Isabel Karajan.