Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is the Music Director of the Orchestre national de Lyon and a regular guest conductor of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Bamberg Symphony and Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Also a noted conductor of opera, Szeps-Znaider made an outstandingly successful debut at the Dresden Semperoper in 2017 with Magic Flute, and was immediately re-invited to conduct Der Rosenkavalier at the house in 2019.   In 20/21 he returned to the Dresden Semperoper, also making his debut at the Royal Danish Opera conducting a new production of Magic Flute.

A virtuoso violinist, Szeps-Znaider maintains his reputation as one of the world’s leading instrumentalists with a busy calendar of concerto and recital engagements. During the 19/20 season he appeared as soloist with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France and Konzerthausorcheter Berlin, and performed the complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas with Rudolf Buchbinder in Vienna’s Musikverein.

Szeps-Znaider’s award-winning discography is extensive and includes his recent recording with the London Symphony Orchestra of the complete Mozart Violin Concertos directed from the violin.  

Szeps-Znaider is passionate about next generation of musical talent, and is President of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. He plays the “Kreisler” Guarnerius “del Gesu” 1741 on extended loan to him by The Royal Danish Theater through the generosity of the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Fonden and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.