Biography

Conductor David Robertson is celebrated worldwide as a champion of contemporary composers, an adventurous programmer, and a masterful communicator whose passionate advocacy for the art form is widely recognized. Currently in his valedictory season as Music Director of the Saint Louis Symphony (SLSO), and his fifth season as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, he has served as artistic leader to many musical institutions, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National de Lyon, and, as a protégé of Pierre Boulez, the Ensemble Intercontemporain. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in 1997.

Mr. Robertson has enjoyed frequent projects the the world's most leading opera companies, including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Bavarian State Opera, Théâtre du Châtelet, and San Francisco Opera. He recently returned to the Metropolitan Opera to conduct the premiere of Phelim McDermott's new production of Così fan tutte. 

During his thirteen-year tenure with the Saint Louis Symphony, Mr. Robertson’s established and fruitful relationships with artists across a wide spectrum is evidenced by the orchestra's ongoing collaboration with composer John Adams. The 2014 release of City Noir (Nonesuch Records)—comprising works by Adams performed by the SLSO with Mr. Robertson—won the Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance. Mr. Robertson is the recipient of numerous musical and artistic awards, and in 2010 was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France. 

Mr. Robertson is devoted to supporting young musicians and has worked with students at the festivals of Aspen, Tanglewood, and Lucerne, at the Paris Conservatory, the Juilliard School, Music Academy of the West, and the National Orchestra Institute. In 2014 he led the USA Coast to Coast tour of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America.

(May 2018)

Born in Santa Monica, CA, Mr. Robertson was educated at London's Royal Academy of Music, where he studied horn and composition before turning to orchestral conducting. He is married to pianist Orli Shaham.