Koen Kessels

Conductor

Koen Kessels, was born in Oostende Belgium and studied at the Royal Conservatoire in Antwerp. In 2010 he was appointed Music Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet. Since the 2015/16 season he has been Music Director of the Royal Ballet in London. Koen Kessels is a frequent guest conductor of the Dutch National Ballet, the Vienna State Ballet, the Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris and the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse. He has also conducted for the New York City Ballet, Teatro dell' Opera di Roma, Teatro Real Madrid, the New National Theatre Tokyo and for La Monnaie/de Munt in Brussels. He is Honorary Professor at the University of Birmingham, Artistic Director of Inspiratum and Chair of Artistic Direction at the Royal Conservatory in Antwerp. As artistic director of the HERME Ensemble, he has worked with composers such as Abrahamsen, Bartholomée, Benjamin, Brewaeys, Ferrari, Henderickx, Hosokawa, Van Hove, Zev Gordon, Dusapin, Huber, Maresz, Murail, Pagh-Paan, Van Parys, Saariaho, Talbot and Yared. The ballet evening Portrait Wayne McGregor was his first work at the Bayerisches Staatsballett.

(Information as of 2023)