German conductor Maria Benyumova

„is highly skilled conductor, has great attitude to work with both singers and orchestra and comports herself with the highest degree of personal and musical integrity“

(Mihkel Kuetson)

Until 2022 she worked as a conductor and choral director at Theater Krefeld and Mönchengladbach. During this time, she conducted a wide range of operatic repertoire: Die Fledermaus, Die Zauberflöte, Norma, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Cavalleria Rusticana, Gianni Schicchi, Un ballo in Maschera and others. She led the Niederrheinische Symphoniker in masterworks of the choral literature such as Mozart’s Mass in C minor, Beethoven’s Mass in C major, Schubert’s Mass in E-flat major and conducted many ballet productions.

As a guest conductor and music promoter in Germany, Maria has conducted concerts with the New Philharmonic Orchestra of Westphalia and with the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn. Following her successful debut with the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra at the beginning of last season, she was engaged as assistant to chief conductor Simon Gaudenz for the recording of Mahler’s 6th, 7th and 8th symphonies and will return to the podium of this orchestra in the 2024-25 season. She is also conducting the ballet production DanceWorks Chicago with the Bergische Symphoniker in the current season. In the 2024-25 season Maria Benyumova will make her debut with the Göttingen Symphony Orchestra, the South Westphalia Philharmonic Orchestra and Northwest German Philharmonic Orchestra.

Maria Benyumova was recently selected in The Dallas Opera Hart Institute for Women Conductors 2023-24. At the End of July Maria took part in a Course „Conductor as Dramaturg“ as a Britten Pears Young Artist 2023-24 in collaboration with the Royal Opera House. She is also one of 12 conductors funded by the Carlos Miguel Prieto Conducting Fellowship. Last Season she was Mentee Conductor in the American TAKI-Alsop Fellowship mentoring program.

Maria was the first guest conductor of the Krasnoyarsk Chamber Orchestra from 2016 until early 2022, where she focused on works of the classical-romantic chamber music repertoire. Highlights of this collaboration include annual concerts as part of the Europe-Siberia-Asia Festival with renowned soloists, such as pianist Eliso Virsaladze.

Maria has been sponsored by the Conductors‘ Forum of the German Music Council, the Bavarian Radio Choir Forum, the Alfred Toepfer Foundation, and the Liselotte Klein Foundation. She has worked with the RIAS Chamber Choir, NDR Choir, Bavarian Radio Choir and Choir Komische Oper Berlin. She studied orchestral and choral conducting at the Folkwang University Essen and the University for Music and Theater Munich.