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Daniel Johannes Mayr appointed Professor of Musical Direction at the Opera School

Daniel Johannes Mayr appointed Professor of Musical Direction at the Opera School

6. May ’25

The University of Music and Theatre Munich (HMTM) appoints conductor Daniel Johannes Mayr to the Professorship of Musical Direction of the Opera School. He will take up his position at the HMTM on 1 October 2025 and bring his extensive experience as a conductor and choir director to his work at the Opera School.

»I am most looking forward to the people: students and colleagues with whom I will be able to embark on exciting musical journeys and make new discoveries,« said Daniel Johannes Mayr on his appointment at the HMTM. »When accompanying and developing young artistic personalities, it is important to me to have a good working atmosphere, a cocktail of seriousness, joy and determination in the joint search for expression in music. I want to promote mutual respect and a humane, appreciative way of dealing with one another, as well as the development and promotion of moving opera productions.«

In his new position at the Opera School of the HMTM, Daniel Johannes Mayr works closely with the Professor of Scenic Direction Waltraud Lehner. Together with the students, they will develop a large opera project each year under real theatre conditions and stage it in the »Musiktheater im Reaktor« series. The focus of their work will be on new teaching formats as well as coaching and workshops on topics such as proximity & distance in music theatre productions.

Born in Kempten (Allgäu), conductor Daniel Johannes Mayr has been engaged as principal coordinated conductor at the Theatre Bonn since the 2017/18 season and will take up the position of principal conductor from the 2025/26 season, alongside his half-time professorship at the HMTM.

After initial permanent engagements at the Komische Oper Berlin as deputy choir director under General Music Director Kirill Petrenko, as choir director and conductor at the Theatre Nordhausen and in the same position at the Theatre Bremen, he joined the Bonn Opera. Mayr worked as musical assistant to choir director Eberhard Friedrich at the Bayreuth Festival from 2010 to 2013 and is associated with the Akademisches Orchester Bonn (Academic Orchestra Bonn) as a conductor.

Daniel Johannes Mayr studied school music and conducting at the University of Music Würzburg with Prof. Hans Rainer Förster and Prof. Peter Falk. He was a lecturer at the Opera School in Würzburg and répétiteur at the Mainfranken Theatre. He also held teaching positions at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen and the Detmold University of Music, where he conducted concert projects with the university orchestra. Daniel Johannes Mayr is passionate about bringing music to children and young people. In addition to family operas, he conducts and presents many family and children’s concerts with the Beethoven Orchester Bonn (Beethoven Orchestra Bonn).