Michael Sanderling is a German conductor and cellist born on February 21, 1967 in East Berlin, East Germany (GDR). Son of the famous conductor Kurt Sanderling (1912-2011) and double bassist Barbara Wagner, he grew up in a family steeped in music. His two older brothers, Thomas Sanderling (b. 1942) and Stefan Sanderling (b. 1964), also became conductors. Michael Sanderling began cello lessons at the age of five, and went on to study with Matthias Pfaender at the Spezialschule für Musik Berlin, before being admitted to the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, where he studied with Josef Schwab. He went on to perfect his technique with such renowned masters as William Pleeth, Yo-Yo Ma, Gary Hoffmann and Lynn Harrell. Winner of the Maria Canals International Music Competition in Barcelona, he was appointed principal cellist of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, a position he held until 1992. From 1994 to 2006, he was guest principal cellist with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. He was also a member of the Ex Aequo Trio from 1988 to 1996, with whom he performed in numerous concerts. In 2010, he ended his solo career to devote himself fully to teaching and conducting. From 1994 to 1998, he taught at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, then from 1998 at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt. Between 2000 and 2003, he also taught at the Bern University of the Arts. After making his conducting debut with the Kammerorchester Berlin in 2000, he became Principal Conductor of the Deutsche Streicherphilharmonie from 2003 to 2013. From 2006 to 2010, he was Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Kammerakademie Potsdam. In 2011, he took up his post at the Dresden Philharmonic, where he simultaneously began a complete cycle of symphonies by Beethoven and Shostakovich, spread over several volumes published between 2015 and 2019. After leaving this post in 2019, Michael Sanderling is appointed principal conductor of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, which he will lead from 2021. He records all four Brahms symphonies (2023) and Mozart's Requiem (2025), with guest appearances by Fatma Said, Marianne Crebassa and Pene Pati.
