Sascha Goetzel
(c) Oezge Balkan
Austrian conductor Sascha Goetzel, 51, will succeed Pascal Rophé as Music Director of the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire from September 1, 2022. His contract runs for a period of four years.
Born in Vienna, Austria, Sascha Goetzel is currently Principal Guest Conductor of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been conductor and artistic director of the Borusan-Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra (2008-2020), principal guest conductor of the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra (2013-2017), the Bretagne Symphony Orchestra (2012-2015) and principal conductor of the Kuopio Symphony in Finland (2006-2012).
He is artistic director of Music for Peace (El Sistema-Turkey) and teaches young conductors at Dirigentloftet, a Norwegian association that supports young talent. He is also director and co-founder of Opera by the Fjord, a festival and academy for aspiring singers and instrumentalists founded in cooperation with the Bergen National Opera.
