| Biography | Karen Kamensek (born January 2, 1970 in Chicago) is an American orchestral and opera conductor. Since 2011, she has been the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Staatsoper Hannover.
Kamensek received degrees in orchestral conducting and piano performance from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. She served as the 1st Kapellmeister of the Volksoper Wien from 2000 to 2002, Music Director of the Theater Freiburg from 2003 to 2006, Interim Music Director at the Slovenian National Theatre in Maribor from 2007 to 2008, and Associate Music Director at Staatsoper Hamburg from 2008 to 2011. In 2011, she was named Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Staatsoper Hannover. It was announced in 2014 that she would give up the post of Music Director after the 2015 season to concentrate on her international commitments while retaining her position as Principal Conductor. Kamensek has also guest conducted for several symphony orchestras and opera companies. These include the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen (Pelléas et Mélisande 2007), San Francisco Opera (Susannah 2014), and the Dortmund Philharmonic (2015).
Kamensek made her English National Opera debut in March 2016 conducting Philip Glass's Akhnaten to much critical acclaim. The production was nominated for, and won the 2017 Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production. She has frequently collaborated with Glass and conducted the recording of the composer's Les Enfants Terribles, which was released on the Orange Mountain Music label in 2005. |