Kerem Hasan is one of a small number of young British conductors quietly taking the European music world by storm. Alongside many noticeable achievements in the UK, he travels the globe, honing his craft and creating meaningful relationships seemingly everywhere he treads. And with his recent appointment as the designated General Music Director (2027/28) of the Badisches Staatstheater, Karlsruhe, life will soon take a new and exciting turn.
I sat down with Hasan (34) ahead of his tour with Anna Lapwood and the Philharmonia Orchestra to talk all things opera including his contribution to English National Opera’s award-winning production of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, his exciting new role leading opera productions with one of Germany’s oldest orchestras, and even tips for keeping his little dog’s teeth sparkling clean.
We meet in Amsterdam on the day of his return visit to the Concertgebouw with the Residentie Orkest, this time joined by the sparkling young Russian cellist Anastasia Kobekina. In the programme, Elgar’s Cello Concerto – a work in the blood of many a British musician, but for those from further afield, the intense sadness of Elgar’s language underpinning all those long overarching melodies which delve the depths of pain and torment is sometimes a tricky ask. Hasan, though, is impressed with Kobekina’s interpretation. Hearing her in action later that evening playing on her new Dutch cello by Rotterdam luthier Robert Brewer Young, I tend to agree.
Kerem Hasan in the Concertgebouw
After taking in the surroundings of the famous Concertgebouw dressing room with its balcony overlooking Amsterdam’s Museumplein and checking whether we need to factor in time for his all-important nap, thoughts quickly turn to the last time we met nearly three years ago, when we touched briefly on how Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink had influenced his early professional life. How Hasan had spent time in this very building assisting Haitink for his final performance of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) and how after performances earlier that week, he’d stepped in to conduct the Sunday afternoon performance on June 10th, 2018, after Haitink had suffered a fall.
And how three years later, their paths crossed again though in much sadder circumstances when Hasan had conducted Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress at Glyndebourne in the week following Haitink’s death. A work close to his mentor’s heart, and one with which he held a close association after conducting both the premiere and four subsequent revivals.
Now sitting in the engine room of a building laden with memories, I asked how it felt to return to a place where Haitink’s presence is all around, and where, in many respects, it all started?
Keeping Bernard Haitink’s ethos alive
‘It’s all very easy to let the emotional weight of everything become quite overwhelming,’ he muses. ‘What’s most important for me is keeping Bernard’s ethos and spirit alive – to not get in the way.
‘When I conduct, I try to show as much with the baton as possible, only talking if it’s absolutely necessary. Before speaking, I think to myself, have I shown it first? It’s incredible what you can do with emotions and gestures. That’s what Bernard really embodied. He didn’t speak a lot.
‘It’s very easy for conductors to become bogged down in the minutiae, but ultimately, what I have the greatest respect for with Bernard, is how he allowed the musicians to do the very best they can. It’s not about us! Some of the best performances I saw from Bernard were when he wasn’t the centre of attention. Instead, he became almost a vessel for the music.
‘It doesn’t mean that you’re not animated, so long as your actions are about the music, and achieving the best result. It’s not about you personally, or what you can do.’
As we continue chatting about those final Haitink rehearsals of Mahler 9 and Bruckner 6, Hasan does indeed become noticeably more animated.
‘The relationship between a conductor and orchestra is so fascinating. Orchestras can perform without a conductor, but the difference a conductor can make to the collective sound is extraordinary. All without words; simply through willing it. The difference in sound is amazing.’
Kerem Hasan conducts the Residentie Orkest
How far will Hasan push the Residentie Orkest this evening in Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony to create those extraordinary sounds in a concert hall which revels in such extremes of dynamics?
‘You have to play for the acoustic you’re in,’ he says. ‘Some halls like London’s Royal Albert Hall are not ideal for really quiet playing – things get lost up high. But it also depends on the orchestra. What they’re used to, and how quickly they can adapt.
The Residentie is not the only ensemble to welcome Hasan back. Having previously served as the chief conductor of the Tiroler Symphonieorchester in Austria (2019-2023), other long-standing partnerships have evolved naturally. None more special than his coveted appointment last season as principal guest conductor of the North Netherlands Orchestra, a post previously held by Dutch favourite, Antony Hermus.
What has he learnt after working with so many orchestras? Has his Dutch or German improved?
Raising a cheeky eyebrow, he attests that both languages are a work in progress. ‘But I’m getting there. Dutch is perhaps a little harder,’ he jests. A point on which we can both agree.
‘To answer your question though, quite simply I know more about who I am as a musician, and what I can offer an orchestra. I’m at a point in my career where not everything is brand new. I’ve been fortunate enough to develop several relationships with various orchestras, and that makes a huge difference. Once you get to know a group of people, you learn how to get the best out of them. My methods don’t change whether I work with a Finnish, Dutch, Australian or Canadian orchestra. I’ll still be the same me.’
He’s learnt to read the room and knows now that silence in rehearsal is not necessarily because of anything he has done. Instead, the musicians may just be concentrating. Other ensembles in contrast, may be more relaxed, more chatty. ‘Knowing how to navigate these non-musical elements is so important.’
Likewise, he’s learnt to take greater risks when choosing repertoire.
‘Sometimes knowing when to throw caution to the wind is something I think we all need to do. Live music is all about risk and I think orchestras need to go to the very edge of what they can do.’
How does he balance learning so much music over the season? Has he reached a point where he can perform the same work with multiple ensembles?
‘It depends,’ he says. ‘I’ve done Tchaikovsky’s Fifth a lot! In Tokyo and Denmark, but also the UK. It’s a work I love!’
Kerem Hasan as music director of the Badisches Staatstheater, Karlsruhe
This issue of balance will become particularly pertinent next year as he takes up his appointment at the Badisches Staatstheater because as I learn, he has chosen an opera house with a huge repertoire.
How many weeks will he spend there each year? ‘We’re into months!’ he tells me. ‘It’s a huge commitment.’
As is the norm in German opera houses, the post of music director is not just about the music. It is also an administrative post which involves decision-making regarding everything from the orchestra’s general direction to casting singers. ‘Opera simply takes more time’ he says. ‘One thing I will insist on though, is to be present during production rehearsals. It might sound obvious, but when I was much younger and observed Antonio Pappano at the Royal Opera House, he was always in the room, seeing how a work develops and being part of the process. For opera, that is so important. So next season will be a balancing act. I want to commit to doing the very best I can.’
Like many of these regional opera houses dotted all over Germany, Karlsruhe – a city the size of Cardiff – has a huge orchestra numbering 95 professional players.
We discuss the city’s strong trumpet-playing tradition, much of which is attributable to legendary trumpet teacher Reinhold Friedrich who I encountered last month in Lucerne, and whose recent pupil, Robin Paillet has just completed a year here in Amsterdam as part of the Concertgebouw Orchestra Academy before landing on his feet as principal trumpet in the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra with Simon Rattle.
A healthy brass section has obviously helped forge the house’s rich Richard Strauss and Wagner operatic tradition, but also their great flexibility. ‘One night they’ll be playing a rock opera, the next will be Wagner’s Lohengrin, and by the end of the week Puccini’s La bohème. Their ability to put on a different hat almost every evening is extraordinary.’ he says.
Having his own opera orchestra (which dates back to the court of the Grand Duke of Baden in 1719) unlike here in Amsterdam where Dutch National Opera collaborates with at least five different orchestras each season, must be quite a luxury?
‘Absolutely!’ he says. And yes, a move to Germany, for at least for part of the year is on the cards.
Conducting Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking for ENO
Turning to events in the UK, we discuss his long-established relationship with English National Opera and his love of opera conducting which I later learn dates back to his teenage years and a two-week work experience placement whilst a student at London’s Purcell School.
With Mozart’s Così fan tutte (2022) & Bizet’s Carmen (2023) under his belt, Hasan took on the pivotal role of conducting Jake Heggie and Terence McNally’s Dead Man Walking (Nov 2025) directed by Annilese Miskimmon, subsequently awarded an Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production, winner of the UK Critics’ Circle Achievement in Opera Award (2025), and currently nominated in International Opera Awards’ New Production category (2026). This must be a great source of pride.
‘It was huge!’ he beams. ‘And the thing is, this is not a new opera. Since it’s San Francisco premiere in 2000, it’s been produced everywhere, just not (fully staged) in the UK. It was a massive hit – audience numbers kept increasing every night. Feedback was great. We were lucky because Michael Mayes who joined the cast playing Joseph de Rocher (a convicted murderer on death row) is one of the greatest artists I’ve ever encountered. He is such an incredible and inspirational musician. He’s lived with that role for many years and sung it all over the world. What he brought to the table was simply mind blowing.’
A challenging rehearsal process
‘The rehearsal process though was very difficult because the subject material is so challenging.’ Based on the novel and Academy award-winning 1995 film of the same name starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, the opera follows Sister Helen Prejedn’s harrowing journey after she accepts Rocher’s request to be his spiritual advisor as he awaits his fate.
‘There were days when I would leave rehearsals and not talk to anyone,’ he tells me. ‘I’d arrive home and just sit, because it was so intense. These subjects are real.’
Hasan, however, is full of praise for ENO: ‘They do this repertoire so well’. Why? ‘Because they’re so flexible. They’re willing to take risks and just dive into contemporary opera scores. Heggie’s score is not easy, but it’s very lyrical and sounds quite American with hints of Aaron Copland and Stephen Sondheim. Quite stunning!’
I think back to the Dutch premiere of Heggie’s Camille Claudel: Into the Fire with Joyce DiDonato and the Concertgebouw Orchestra last year under Pappano (that name again!) which tells another complex story: that of French sculptress Camille Claudel whose art was overshadowed by Auguste Rodin (her husband, mentor teacher and lover) which was similarly the subject of a film of the same name starring Gérard Depardieu. Here too, Heggie teases the audience with little fragments of melody to hold onto. ‘Exactly!’ Hasan agrees. ‘It really was one of the highlights of my musical career and I’m very happy it received the recognition it deserves.
Is this a direction he would like to pursue in Karlsruhe, because traditionally, German opera houses do not always take risks? ‘Yes,’ he confirms. ‘This has been a huge subject of our conversation. I have a mandate to present a bit of everything. Respect for their tradition whilst pushing the boat.’
An opera house with a huge repertoire
‘When I accepted the job earlier this year, they sent me through an excel spreadsheet detailing all the operas performed since 1947. There are some gaps… but they have a deep knowledge of a lot of repertoire, especially when you include their work with Baroque specialists in the annual International Handel Festival each February.’
Where he will take a slightly different path is by increasing the orchestra’s community presence, taking inspiration from British orchestras like the City of Birmingham Symphony ‘who are so adept at this’. Together, they will develop their audience base by ‘going out’ to audiences rather than ‘constantly pulling them in. This is something the orchestral musicians have been pushing for. Not only to be more visible, but to try different styles and formats.’
Exciting times ahead in Karlsruhe!
Kerem Hasan on tour with Anna Lapwood and the Philharmonia
To close, I ask how he is preparing for the following week – his concert tour with the Philharmonia and British organ sensation Anna Lapwood, who, if her socials are correct, has already embarked on a pre-concert tour mini tour – one day in each venue.
‘The Philharmonia know the programme very well and it’s an eclectic mix, from grandiose Saint-Saëns to music which I think defines Anna, and her approach. Works by Hans Zimmer and a new co-commission by Max Richter. Next week, we’ll put it all together in London before meeting in Germany for concerts in Essen, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Cologne and Rotterdam. Will Anna have the German audience singing in the aisles, in English as she has done on numerous occasions before? We will have to wait and see!
Hasan though is looking forward to working together professionally for the first time. ‘I don’t think she’ll remember me,’ he whispers, ‘but we did Junior Royal Academy of Music together when we were teenagers. She’s a couple of years younger than me, so she may not remember me… but I remember her. She was fanatical about the organ back then. But that’s another story! We’ll find out next week if she remembers me!’
On the podium
On the podium later that evening, all Hasan’s wise words certainly ring true. In front of the Residentie Orkest, yearning swells in Tchaikovsky’s Fifth reveal his commanding side. Whilst unafraid to whip the fine RO brass into exciting climaxes, he similarly takes just that moment longer to let the sound settle and find moments of exquisite stillness within the generous Concertgebouw acoustics. Excitement beckoned at every turn. His clear, efficient conducting technique is highly persuasive.
Perhaps more importantly though, is that when some might argue that in the current political climate, Russian music should be consigned to the past, in Hasan’s hands, he presents a compelling case to the contrary. One where history comes alive to reveal a nation’s soul. Where Tchaikovsky’s music (written nearly 140 years ago) moves swiftly from the hustle and bustle of daily life to the horrors of years of oppression. As the lower brass and timpani faced down horns, and whilst the violins – high on the G strings – plead for all their worth, no stone was left unturned.
Kerem Hasan in Essen
Two weeks later in Essen’s Philharmonie, Saint-Saëns’ Organ Concerto with Anna Lapwood and London’s Philharmonia gives a window into a fast evolving and rather new relationship. Here, Hasan’s persuasive skills are again at the fore as he patiently convinced the seasoned London musicians, putting those honed and highly efficient expressive facial expressions to good use. And as we discussed the previous week, beautifully focused pianissimos were the highlight. All the more poignant when alongside his trademark full-bodied brass, tonight, joined by a full-throated and very exciting organ. On stage, Lapwood is vocal in her praise, confirming to all that she indeed remembered Hasan from their youth. Just another name to add to a long list of people who will remember their encounter with the young British conductor, Kerem Hasan.
© Clare Varney
Follow Kerem Hasan in concert
Read more from Clare
Follow Clare Varney on Facebook or Instagram to read more about Music and Culture
