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)

In the 2024-25 Season Maria Benyumova will make her debut with the Brazilian Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra, the Göttingen Symphony Orchestra, the South Westphalia Philharmonic Orchestra, the Northwest German Philharmonic Orchestra and the Munich Symphony Orchestra.

Following her successful debut with the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra in the previous season, she was appointed assistant to chief conductor Simon Gaudenz for the ambitious project of recording Mahler’s 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th symphonies. This collaboration continues with her return to conduct the Jena Philharmonic during the 2024-25 season.

Maria has demonstrated particular aptitude for ballet productions, having directed DanceWorks Chicago with the Bergische Symphonic Orchestra last season, which led to a subsequent invitation to conduct another ballet production with the Atlantic Ballet Company in the current season.

Her talents have been recognized through several prestigious fellowships and programs. She was selected for The Dallas Opera Hart Institute for Women Conductors 2023-24 and honored as a Britten Pears Young Artist 2023-24 in collaboration with the Royal Opera House. Her development has been further supported as one of twelve conductors funded by the Carlos Miguel Prieto Conducting Fellowship and as a Mentee Conductor in the American TAKI-Alsop Fellowship mentoring program.

Until 2022, Maria served as conductor and choral director at Theater Krefeld and Mönchengladbach, where she led performances of a wide range of operatic works including «Die Fledermaus,» «Die Zauberflöte,» «Norma,» «Il Barbiere di Siviglia,» «Cavalleria Rusticana,» «Gianni Schicchi,» and «Un ballo in Maschera.» During this tenure, she also conducted the Niederrheinische Symphoniker in major choral works and led numerous ballet productions.

She maintains a significant relationship with the Krasnoyarsk Chamber Orchestra as their first guest conductor, focusing on classical-romantic chamber music repertoire. This collaboration has included annual concerts as part of the Europe-Siberia-Asia Festival featuring renowned soloists like pianist Eliso Virsaladze and accompanying violin virtuosos during the Viktor Tretiakov International Violin Competition.

Maria’s talent has been recognized through support from prestigious organizations including the Conductors’ Forum of the German Music Council, the Bavarian Radio Choir Forum, the Alfred Toepfer Foundation, and the Liselotte Klein Foundation. Her choral conducting experience includes work with the RIAS Chamber Choir, NDR Choir, Bavarian Radio Choir, and Choir Komische Oper Berlin.

She received her education in orchestral and choral conducting at the Folkwang University Essen and the University for Music and Theater Munich.