An American in Cottbus

Young. Dynamic. Progressive. Evan Christ, Musical Director at the Cottbus Staatstheater since 2008, is a man of the present and the future – and someone who appreciates tradition. He presents the Beethoven symphonies in the classical style, i.e., without vibrato and with natural trumpets, and Richard Wagner’s “Ring of the Nibelung” in an expressive, sophisticated style. Nevertheless, the obligation to remain innovative is all the more important. “For seven years now, we have been presenting a short world premiere lasting around five minutes at every symphony concert,” reports the Musical Director. Alongside works by contemporary composers such as Wolfgang Rihm, Matthias Pintscher and Chaya Czernowin, 19th and 20th-century rarities also form part of the Philharmonic Orchestra’s repertoire. Audiences can listen to György Ligeti as well as to Carl Nielsen or Witold Lutosławski. Both critics 
and audiences are happy – in 2010 the city’s residents chose Evan Christ as “Cottbus citizen of the year”; the Association of German Music Publishers graced the Cottbus Staatstheater’s Philharmonic Orchestra with the prize for the “Best concert programme in the 2010-11 season”.

Born in Los Angeles and raised in Las Vegas, the foundations where Evan’s career were laid when he started studying Mathematics and Composition at Harvard University. He subsequently decided to study as a conductor at the Leipzig University of Music. “Europe’s cultural self-assurance fascinates me,” he comments. “Moreover, Germany is the home of opera and theatre.” Even after completing his training, Evan Christ has remained true to his adopted home, becoming Director of Music at the Mainfranken-Theater in Würzburg and the Wuppertaler Bühnen, Wuppertal’s performing arts venues. Now, as Musical Director at the Cottbus Staatstheater, his principal objective is to take his cue from the successes of recent years and 
to maintain the theatre’s high standards in music. “For the future it is important to search repeatedly for new challenges and to remain curious,” he explains. In his opinion, new music, in particular, offers 
a wide variety of opportunities for this – “it opens up a fresh perspective on the standard repertoire.”