Rainer Mühlbach

Rainer Mühlbach completed his piano and conducting studies at the Hochschule Carl Maria von Weber in his hometown of Dresden. After assisting Leonard Bernstein, he first had engagements as a solo repetiteur with conducting duties at the Semperoper Dresden, the Theater Basel and the Hamburg State Opera.

From 1995 to 2000 he was 1st Kapellmeister at the Bremen Theatre. Bremen Theatre. Here he conducted „Idomeneo“, „Fidelio“, „Otello“, „Der fliegende Holländer“, „Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg“, „Der Rosenkavalier“ and „Ariadne auf Naxos“, among others. At the Semperoper Dresden he conducted several productions of the opera repertoire and some ballet premieres as well as Mozart's Da Ponte operas and „Die Zauberflöte“, „Carmen“ and „Hänsel und Gretel“. The Cologne Opera invited the artist for the revivals of „Die Entführung aus dem Serail“, „Die Zauberflöte“, „Don Giovanni“ and „La Cenerentola“ as well as for the new production of „Dialogues des Carmélites“.

He made guest appearances in the new production of Bizet's „Carmen“ at the Theater Basel, the Nationaltheater Weimar, Aalto-Musiktheater Essen, Grand Théâtre de Genève as well as at the Oper Graz and the Opéra de Paris. At the Hamburg State Opera, he conducted the premieres of John Neumeier's ballet creations „Bernstein Dances“ and „Nijinsky“, among others. Guest performances of these productions took him to Baden-Baden, Lincoln Center New York, Copenhagen, Washington and Madrid.

The artist has conducted the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Dresden Philharmonic, the SWR Baden-Baden Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique de Madrid, the Royal Danish Orchestra, the Washington National Opera Orchestra, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the NDR Symphony Orchestra, among others.

Rainer Mühlbach also appears in cabaret shows, including Georg Kreisler's „Heute Abend: Lola Blau“ and „Adam Schaf hat Angst,“ and as pianist for the „Comedian Harmonists.“

From 2004 to 2007, Mühlbach was General Music Director of the city of Münster, where he conducted new productions of „Lohengrin“, „Halka“ (Moniuszko), „Fidelio“, „Otello“ and „Don Giovanni“, among others.

At the Cologne Opera, Rainer Mühlbach has been head of the International Opera Studio of the Cologne Opera and musical director of the Cologne Children's Opera since 2012-13. Projects in the children's opera section have included the development of versions of the Wagner cycle „Der Ring des Nibelungen for young and old“ (premiere of „Das Rheingold“ in autumn 2017, concluding with „Götterdämmerung“ in spring 2021). These productions were part of the 2019 OPER! Award-winning „Best Education Programme of German-speaking Stages“ and was invited to Korea for 2022.

In the 2016-17 season, he conducted Schönberg's „Pierrot lunaire“ (directed by Kai Anne Schuhmacher) as part of the Cologne Theatre Night. In the following season, Mühlbach was musical director of the productions of „Der Kaiser von Atlantis“ by Viktor Ullmann, Benjamin Britten's „The Rape of Lucretia“ and the children's opera „Pollicino“ by Hans Werner Henze, which the Cologne Opera, Cologne Children's Opera produced in collaboration with the Cologne Opera.

Mühlbach created further adaptations during the 2018-19 season for the Cologne Children's Opera of Offenbach's „The Tales of Hoffmann,“ Mozart's „Die Zauberflöte für Kinder,“ and Stravinsky's „Die Nachtigall.“ In the 2019-20 season, he conducted the children's opera versions of Hanke's „Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren.“

Mühlbach also served as musical director for many original compositions, e.g. the world premiere of „Die Geschichte vom Fuchs, der den Verstand verlor“ (composition by Johannes Wulff-Woesten, libretto by Martin Baltscheit), which was commissioned for the 25th anniversary of the Cologne Children's Opera in 2021. He also conducted Orff's „Die Kluge“ and Mozart's „Die Zauberflöte“ in 2021-22. In spring 2022, Mühlbach conducted a new production of Mozart's „Die Entführung aus dem Serail“ at the Cologne Opera.

In the 2022-23 season, he once again conducted Mozart's „Die Zauberflöte“ and „Die Entführung aus dem Serail.“ For the children's opera, he conducted the German premiere of Lange's „Der Gesang der Zauberinsel“ and Hanke's „Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren.“ This was followed in 2023-24 by the world premiere of Sendil's „Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten“ and Eröd's „Pünktchen und Anton“. For the children's opera, he conducted the German premiere of Lange's „Der Gesang der Zauberinsel“ and Hanke's „Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren.“ This was followed in 2023-24 by the world premiere of Sendil's „Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten“ and Eröd's „Pünktchen und Anton.“

In 2024-25, he once again took on the musical direction for the children's opera of Mozart's „Die Zauberflöte für Jung und Alt“ and Sendil's „Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten.“ He also directed the community opera „Superheldennormalos.“

In the 2025-26 season, he will conduct the children's opera versions of Naske's „Der Wunschpunsch,“ „Freikugeln,“ and Kverndokk's „Max und Moritz.“

In 2025, Rainer Mühlbach was awarded the Offenbach Prize by the Friends of the Cologne Opera Association in recognition of his outstanding artistic achievements.