Auckland-born conductor Tecwyn Evans has been appointed as Erste Kapellmeister und stellvertretender Chefdirigent of the Graz Symphony Orchestra and Opera House in Austria.

Auckland-born conductor Tecwyn Evans has been appointed as Erste Kapellmeister und stellvertretender Chefdirigent of the Graz Symphony Orchestra and Opera House in Austria.

Following his debut with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra earlier this year conducting concerts with acclaimed cellist Nicolas Alstaedt, Evans is the first New Zealander to have been appointed to such a prestigious position since John Matheson was appointed Erster Kapellmeister in Mannheim, Germany, in 1977.

Tecwyn Evans will begin his tenure in Graz in August 2009 and his first year will see him conduct productions of celebrated operas Die Meistersinger Madama Butterfly, Tosca and The Marriage of Figaro. 

NZSO Chief Executive Peter Walls said: “This is an outstanding appointment for Tecwyn and a real coup for New Zealand to be producing stars of such exceptional quality. We were delighted to present Tecwyn to New Zealand audiences this year and we look forward to having him return to conduct the NZSO in 2010.”

Born in 1971, Tecwyn Evans studied composition and conducting at the University of Otago, obtaining a 1st class Honours degree and a Masters degree with distinction. In 1997 he took up a Fulbright Scholarship to study conducting at the University of Kansas and was appointed Chorus Master for Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 1999 - a position he held for four years.

He has conducted some of the best orchestras in the world and has now established himself as one of the most successful New Zealand musicians of his generation.

The NZSO’s 2010 Season will be announced in September 2009.