About Us

Titus Engel was named Conductor of the Year by Opernwelt magazine in 2020. His comprehensive approach to repertoire from diverse eras allows him to understand works in their multifaceted interrelationships. The Swiss conductor has recently thrilled audiences not only with a historically informed Brahms cycle but also with Lohengrin at the Tyrolean Festival in Erl, as well as with a monumental production of Messiaen's "Saint François d'Assise" at the Stuttgart Opera.

From the 2023/24 season, Titus Engel will take over as Principal Conductor of the Basel Sinfonietta; upon his arrival, he will conduct the Basel Sinfonietta together with the NDR Big Band and the Chorwerk Ruhr at the Ruhrtriennale in September 2023. At the season opener, he will conduct Tobias Kratzer's new production of Henze's "The Raft of the Medusa" at the Komische Oper Berlin. He will then appear at Theater Basel for the revival of Weber's "Der Freischütz" (directed by Christoph Marthaler) and at the Grand Théâtre de Genève with Hèctor Parra's new opera "Justice".

Guest conducting engagements have taken him to, among others, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the SWR and WDR Symphony Orchestras, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Camerata Salzburg, as well as Ensemble Modern and Klangforum Wien. He regularly conducts at the opera houses in Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Lyon, Basel, and Geneva, and has led performances of works including Berg's "Wozzeck," Bartók's "Bluebeard's Castle," Strauss's "Salome," and Haas's "Bluthaus." Together with Lydia Steier, he brought Stockhausen's "Donnerstag" to the stage of Theater Basel in 2016; the production was named Performance of the Year by Opernwelt magazine. The world premiere of 2017 was Chaya Czernowin's opera "Infinite Now," which he conducted at Opera Vlaanderen, the Nationaltheater Mannheim, and the Philharmonie de Paris. He also conducted other world premieres at the Salzburg Festival, the Berlin Festival, the Lucerne Festival, the RuhrTriennale, at the Teatro Real in Madrid and at the Vienna Konzerthaus.

Titus Engel studied musicology and philosophy in Zurich and Berlin and learned his conducting craft in Dresden under Christian Kluttig. He has recorded numerous works for radio and CDs and is the initiator of the Academy for Contemporary Music Theatre as well as the editor of several books on contemporary opera.

Joseph Sieber is assistant conductor of the Basel Sinfonietta and artistic director of the outreach initiative "Simple Symphony". The "bridge builder for a new audience for classical music" (Luzerner Zeitung) has, under his seven-year leadership, developed the Central Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra (ZJSO), which he founded, into one of the most versatile and highly regarded youth ensembles in Switzerland, and as a pioneer in the field of promoting young talent and innovative orchestral productions, has won numerous awards (including the European Music Outreach Prize).

Trained in Switzerland, England, and the USA, and now residing in Paris, the young conductor received the highest distinction for his graduation recital with the BBC Philharmonic and was a Conducting Fellow of the Lucerne Festival Academy and the Cabrillo Festival in California. He has collaborated with renowned orchestras and has performed with, among others, the BBC Philharmonic (UK), the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (CH), the Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz (DE), the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra (USA), the Plovdiv State Opera Orchestra (BG), the New Sinfonia (WL), and the Argovia Philharmonic (CH). He has also worked as an assistant conductor with orchestras such as the Orchestre National de France (FR) and the Philharmonia Orchestra (UK), as well as for conductors including Susanna Mälkki, Marin Alsop, Cristian Măcelaru, and Domingo Hindoyan.

In the field of opera and music theatre, Joseph worked as a répétiteur, composer, and later as a conductor from a young age. He deepened his collaboration with singers as a long-time member and assistant of the Swiss Youth Choir and the EuroChoir, and ultimately assisted with a full production of Strauss's "Ariadne auf Naxos" at the RNCM in Manchester. In the field of contemporary music, Joseph has conducted dozens of world premieres over the years and performed with specialized ensembles such as Ensemble ö! and the Ensemble Modern Academy.

Joseph attracted attention at a young age and across several disciplines: in addition to acting for the Lucerne Theatre and Swiss television, he performed as a piano soloist and conductor at the Lucerne Festival in the KKL concert hall while still a student. His artistic initiatives made waves beyond national borders – for example, when his music theatre project "Verona 3000," which he composed and directed, was nominated for the European Music Outreach Prize; a recording collaboration with rapper and beatbox vice world champion Steff la Cheffe topped the charts for weeks; and a choreographed Mozart Requiem with the Swiss Youth Choir enjoyed nationwide success. The charismatic speaker gave his first TEDx talk in 2024, titled "Dare to be an Artist," and regularly hosts concerts and pre-concert talks.