André de Ridder is Music Director Designate of English National Opera.
André de Ridder is the Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of Theater Freiburg and designated Music Director of both English National Opera and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, titles he will assume from September 2027. He is in demand internationally for his impressive stylistic versatility, from baroque to contemporary music. His projects and collaborations take him to orchestras such as New York Philharmonic, Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, Tonhalle Zurich, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris and Concertgebouworkest.
Over the course of the 2025/26 season, de Ridder will conduct titles such as Doctor Atomic, Iphigénie en Tauride and The Loser at the Theater Freiburg, and Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny at the English National Opera.
De Ridder will also make guest appearances with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Belgian National Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra Dublin, The Hallé, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, as well as New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He curates and performs at Oulu Festival and continues his curatorship of‘ Unclassified Live’ at London’s Southbank Centre, a series of genre-defying performances featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Updated: 27th January 2026
