Jakob Lehmann is quickly establishing himself as a highly sought-after conductor, energetically merging historically informed performance styles and fundamental stylistic research with emotionally sincere and engaging performances on period as well as modern instruments, both in the symphonic and operatic world.
In the 2025-2026 season, he starts a long-term exploration of Rossini’s music on period instruments together with London’s Monteverdi Choir and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, and debuts further with Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen and at the Indiana University Bloomington. He follows re-invitations to Bruckner Orchester Linz, Tonkünstler Orchester, La Banda storica Bern, Les Siècles performing works by Wagner & Lizst, and furthermore conducts a new production of Berlioz’ La damnation de Faust at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées with Benjamin Bernheim in the title role, as well as a new production of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor as a co-production between Opéra de Rennes and Angers-Nantes Opéra. Further ahead he works with Vienna Volksoper, SWR Symphonieorchester and WDR Köln.
Jakob’s orchestral collaborations have included Sinfonieorchester Liechtenstein, Orchestra La Scintilla, Collegium Novum Zürich, Wiener Concert-Verein, the Juilliard Orchestra and Juilliard415, Wiener Symphoniker, Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Bochumer Symphoniker, Brandenburger Symphoniker and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
He is held in high regard amongst period instrument orchestras for his expertise in the Historical Performance of Classical and Romantic repertoire. Recently, he conducted Les Siècles in Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony at the International Bruckner Festival in Linz for the composer’s 200th anniversary celebrations. He further enjoys collaborations with Anima Eterna Brugge, Orchestra of the 18th Century, Concerto Köln, and Orchestra La Scintilla.
Jakob is the Artistic Director of Eroica Berlin, a chamber orchestra he founded in 2015 which performed at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Bachfest Leipzig, and three times at Brucknerhaus Linz. The group consists of young musicians from Berlin and focuses on translating the impulses and inspirations from period performance to modern instruments.
As a specialist for the music of Gioachino Rossini and the Belcanto period, he has contributed greatly to the exploration and research into the historically informed performance practice of this style, and his conducting in this repertoire has been described by the press as “a revelation”, “extraordinary”, and “striking”. From 2019 till 2025 he served as Associate Artistic Director of New York based opera company Teatro Nuovo, and lead productions of operas by Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, and Verdi to great critical acclaim, most recently Verdi's Macbeth. Other recent opera productions include Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia and Verdi’s Ernani for North Carolina Opera (directed by Francesca Zambello), Donizetti’s Poliuto and Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi for Teatro Nuovo, and Mozart’s Idomeneo for Opéra National de Lorraine.
As a lecturer and coach in the topics of Romantic performance practice and the Belcanto style, he is working with institutions such as the Juilliard School New York, the Dutch National Opera Studio, the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, and the Hochschule der Künste Bern. In 2023, he was elected as the President of the German Rossini Society and further is a member of the American Rossini Society.
Jakob’s discography encompasses a wide range of repertoire on various labels. His two most recent albums include “Mozart 1791” with Concerto Köln (Warner Classics) and his 2024 recording of Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri with Eroica Berlin (Pan Classics) which was praised for its “astonishing approach“, and “relentless enthusiasm“.
2025-2026 season, not for reproduction. Click here for a downloadable version.