BIOGRAPHY

Biography

Celebrated for his qualities as an interpreter of romantic and modern music, Daniel Kawka owes his reputation to a sustained practice of the symphonic and lyrical repertoire, with a passionate focus on the works of Wagner, Mahler, and Strauss, drawing from and singing the sources of his Mitteleuropa origins.

His reputation as a French musician has taken him to major international stages, from the Opéra de Montréal to the Seoul National Opera and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, from the North American premiere of Enigma to the Korean premiere of Dialogues des Carmélites, and the Russian premiere of Rodrigue et Chimène, the first opera by Claude Debussy.

Daniel Kawka is a universal artist, peddling the art of opera throughout the world, between the great repertoire and new works. His « Wagner works » have been exported from Switzerland to France, Italy and Poland, and have been performed at major national and international festivals, most recently in Lucerne as part of the Richard Wagner Event with Parsifal, and in North America with Walküre in 2026-2027.

The recreation of the unpublished opera by Hector Berlioz on the stage of the eponymous Festival, released by Warner Classics, contributes to his prominence, as does the Grammy nomination for his recording of Ravel’s concertos. Pierre Boulez distinguished him by entrusting him with the first recording of his final and lyrical Dérive 2, as well as the Russian creation of his Notations for Orchestra, bringing to light the lyricism that characterizes his direction in both historical and contemporary symphonic and operatic repertoire.

The legacy of Claudio Abbado and Pierre Boulez, at the crossroads of cultures, was decisive in shaping the lyricism that Kawka has embraced, the energy of sound, the generosity of lines, and the formal clarity, in the pursuit of a sound unique to each of his interpretations. The success of Enigma, an opera given as a French and North American collaboration in 2024, confirmed this luxurious and refined orchestral sound that is uniquely his, for which he is acclaimed, embracing energy, brilliance, and depth. This is why he is so fond of the great symphonic cycles, which he presents in concert as complete works: Beethoven, Mahler, Strauss, Sibelius, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, and Bartók. He draws from the source of each style, revealing its essence, and shares an infinite musical world through the breath of his inner vibration.

A composer himself and the recipient of awards and commissions, Daniel Kawka considers the performer as a co-creator and views creation as the poetic and sonic reflection of our time.

He has collaborated with prestigious composers, from Dutilleux to Boulez, Berio, Denisov, from Saariaho to Kasparov, Robin to Nante… He initiated the International Academy of Symphonic Creation, the Léman Lyriques Festival, and the Ose! Symphony Orchestra, all dedicated to vast repertoires, both romantic and contemporary. He has devoted two recordings to Pierre Boulez, and has led the European performances of works by these great masters with prestigious ensembles. As an interpreter of 20th and 21st-century music at the helm of the EOC (Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain), or as a guest conductor, he has traveled throughout Europe, America, and Asia, carrying the voice of contemporary music worldwide. His contemporary repertoire encompasses a wide range of works for ensemble and orchestra. He has premiered over one hundred works, including twelve operas.

Among the major ensembles he has conducted, alongside his roles with the EOC and the Ose! Symphony Orchestra, are the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Russian National Orchestra, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Seoul National Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta, the Orchestre National de France, the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Turin, the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and the Ensemble Intercontemporain.