Harish Shankar

Conductor

BIO

Hailed for his exacting technique and passionate conducting, the charismatic Malaysian-born Harish Shankar enjoys a growing global presence on the podium.

A prize winner at the 6th International Jorma Panula Conducting Competition, Harish Shankar is currently the first kapellmeister at the Meininger Staatstheater. Current highlights include this season’s debuts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Opera North. Previous appearances include City of Birmingham Symphony, Gärtnerplatztheater, Munich, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Jena Philharmonics, Manchester Camerata, Bournemouth Symphony, Vaasa City Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Trujillo, and North Czech Philharmonic. His debut with the Hallé Orchestra received high critical acclaim. With an active voice in the media, Harish has been featured in ‘Classical Music Magazine’ and interviewed on BBC Radio 3.

His craft is undeniable and he was a joy to watch as he exuded love and confidence.

Mark Dee

North West End

Harish Shankar completed his Master’s degree in Conducting at the prestigious Conservatoire of Weimar, Germany under the tutelage of Professor Gunter Kahlert.

As Junior Fellow of Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, he received valuable mentorship from Sir Mark Elder. Masterclasses with Paavo Järvi, Nicolás Pasquet and Mark Stringer round off his studies.

He has assisted a number of renowned conductors including Sir Andrew Davis, Vasily Petrenko, Eckehard Stier and Juanjo Mena. Early studies with Eiji Oue led to an invitation to lead the orchestra of the award-winning El Sistema project in Peru. During his tenure with El Sistema, he conducted a number of regular and cross-over projects with the aim to engage a growing classical music scene and to bring together children from all walks of life through music.

A pianist by training, Harish Shankar took piano lessons from the age of six with Penny Kam and Loo Bang Hean before being accepted into the class of noted pianist Professor Konstanze Eickhorst at the Conservatoire of Lübeck.

In his free time Harish Shankar serves as an emergency pedagogue with the Friends of Waldorf Education, using music to help children in areas of conflict cope with trauma.