Raoul Grüneis

Born in Würzburg, Raoul Grüneis studied piano, composition and conducting at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK Berlin). His artistic development was particularly influenced by Aribert Reimann and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, whose song interpretation classes shaped his work as a conductor and accompanist. Further studies with Sergiu Celibidache and Witold Szalonek, a pupil of Nadia Boulanger, fostered his interest in French modernism and contemporary music.

A central focus of Grüneis’s artistic work is Richard Wagner. His involvement with the Bayreuth masterclasses of Waltraud Meier, Anna Reynolds and Jean Cox, together with his work as assistant to Donald Runnicles and Giuseppe Sinopoli, gave him an in-depth understanding of Wagner’s distinctive musical language. His repertoire spans the Baroque to contemporary music, embracing the major works of the Classical and Romantic traditions as well as the symphonic repertoire of the 20th century, with works by Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Weber and Shostakovich. His early training in Lied interpretation with Aribert Reimann and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau continues to inform his particular affinity for vocal and song repertoire.

After engagements at various German theaters, including Nationaltheater Mannheim and Staatstheater Darmstadt, Raoul Grüneis served as General Music Director of the Opera Houses in Ankara and Istanbul. Highlights there included productions with Angela Gheorghiu, Kristine Opolais, Ferial Türkoglu, and Murat Karahan, among many others. He also worked for more than ten years as Principal Guest Conductor of the Presidential Orchestra in Ankara and closely collaborated with the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra and nearly all other orchestras in Turkey, as well as at the Aspendos Festival, making him a respected figure in the country’s rich musical life.

As a guest conductor, Grüneis has appeared with leading orchestras including the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Staatskapelle Weimar, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Berliner Symphoniker, Stuttgart Philharmonic, Essen Philharmonic and the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, as well as the Philharmonic Orchestras of Brno, Jena, Gdańsk, Guangzhou and Seoul and the Radio Orchestras of Sofia and Prague. His opera engagements have taken him to the Opera Houses of Graz, Dublin, Prague, Hannover, Innsbruck, Weimar, Stuttgart and Essen, among others.

His longstanding connection with Venezuela and El Sistema has resulted in several important projects. After previous Wagner performances there, including with Deborah Voigt, he returned to Venezuela in May 2026 to conduct Wagner’s Parsifal with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and El Sistema.

Since January 2026, Grüneis has been Chief Conductor of the Pomeranian Philharmonic Bydgoszcz, following several successful collaborations with the orchestra. His work with the orchestra complements an international conducting career that has also included successful concert tours and recordings, including a South American tour with Mischa Maisky and the RTV Symphony Orchestra Slovenia.

Alongside his conducting career, Grüneis has a strong commitment to music education and audience development. He has led the orchestral course of the Haus Marteau masterclasses for many years and collaborated with young musicians and ensembles in Brazil, Turkey and the Middle East, including the Galeel Chamber Orchestra, a Palestinian-Israeli youth initiative. With the Anime Symphony project, he brings orchestral arrangements of music from anime films to major concert venues, including the Berlin Philharmonie, creating new access to the symphonic concert experience for younger audiences.

W.A. Mozart – Don Giovanni

Aldamero Romero

La forza del destino – Ouverture