John Warner

The British conductor John Warner has been Principal Conductor at the MiR Gelsenkirchen since the start of the 2026–27 season. In his first season, he is conducting Berg’s *Wozzeck*, Mozart’s *La clemenza di Tito*, Hans Thomalla’s *Dark Fall* and Prokofiev’s *The Love for Three Oranges*. He is also Principal Guest Conductor of Oxford Opera in his home town in the UK.

His most recent concert engagements include performances with the Athens State Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, the Catalan Franz Schubert Philharmonia, and the Berlin Symphony Orchestra at the Philharmonie and the Konzerthaus Berlin. He has also conducted the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic and the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, and has worked with soloists such as Thomas Hampson, Susan Bullock, James Ehnes and Wu Wei.

His opera repertoire includes works such as *The Flying Dutchman*, *La traviata*, *The Magic Flute*, *Hansel and Gretel* and *Tosca*. In addition, he has conducted operas by Ethel Smyth and Amy Beach, as well as the world premiere of Frank Schwemmer’s *The Atlantis Code*. His commitment to contemporary music has taken him to the Philharmonie Luxembourg and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. As Artist in Residence at the Beijing Music Festival in 2023, he led programmes that combined Mahler’s music with new commissioned works and Chinese premieres.

Warner studied music at the University of Oxford, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree with first-class honours and a Master’s degree with distinction. He worked closely with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Daniel Harding, Karina Canellakis and Robin Ticciati. From 2025 to 2026, he was Music Director of the Southern Sinfonia.

He is the founder and artistic director of the Orchestra for the Earth, which combines music with practical environmental conservation through concerts, educational initiatives and partnerships with nature conservation organisations. The orchestra’s annual tours centre on Mahler’s three composing huts. The orchestra visits communities throughout the Alpine region with concerts and educational projects. In 2025, Warner became the first recipient of the Mahler Award from the Mahler Foundation, which was presented to him at the Mahler Festival in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.