“Leo McFall, another first timer with the company, conducts a lovingly shaped performance from the ENO orchestra, bringing out details in this score you don’t often hear”
Erica Jeal | The Guardian
Leo McFall brings a dynamic and engaging presence to European orchestras as Principal Conductor of the Thessaloniki State Orchestra, Chief Conductor of Symphonieorchester Vorarlberg, and, from the 2024/2025 season, General Music Director of the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden.
Under his leadership, the dynamic Thessaloniki Orchestra has toured internationally, including performances in Rome, while attracting a young audience at home with its fresh and engaging programming. With the Symphonieorchester Vorarlberg, Leo appears annually at the Bregenz Festspiele and throughout the region. His tenure with both the Vorarlberg and Thessaloniki orchestras have been successfully renewed for second terms. Meanwhile, Leo conducts a wide and exciting repertoire in Wiesbaden, his first season featuring works ranging from Haydn’s Die Schöpfung to Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre. Also deeply connected to the Alma Mahler Kammerorchester—an ensemble of emerging talents from Europe’s leading orchestras—Leo has crafted a distinctive musical voice that resonates widely.
In recent seasons, he has captivated audiences and critics alike through performances with orchestras such as the BBC Philharmonic, Belgrade Philharmonic, Oulu Sinfonia, Deutsches Bundesjugendorchester, Orchestre National de Lyon, Dortmund Philharmonic, Tampere Filharmonia, and The Hanover Band. His acclaimed recording of Emilie Mayer’s early symphonies won the 2021 Opus Klassik award for Best 18th Century Symphonic Recording and was highlighted in the New York Times’ “Best Classical Recordings of 2020.”
Leo’s operatic achievements include productions with English National Opera (La Traviata), Glyndebourne on Tour (The Turn of the Screw, Così fan tutte), and Opera North (The Turn of the Screw, Snow Maiden).
Earlier in his career, Leo combined his role as 1st Kapellmeister at the Meiningen Theater with the position of Assistant Conductor of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester. During this time, he won the prestigious Deutsche Dirigentenpreis (German Conducting Prize) in 2015, and was a finalist in the Salzburg Nestlé Conducting Award. He enjoyed a close collaboration with Bernard Haitink, assisting him on projects with esteemed ensembles such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Vienna Philharmonic and others.
As both a pianist and violist, Leo studied conducting at the Sibelius Academy with Leif Segerstam and with Johannes Schlaefli at the Zürich ZHdK. His collaborative spirit and artistic vision make him a sought-after conductor across Europe’s musical landscape.
