Kamdzhalov bore a more than passing resemblance to the young Celibidache. (ClassicalSource.com)

He charms the orchestra… (The Guardian, London)

Eine Entdeckung.  (Märkische Allgemeine, Berlin)


Born in Bulgaria and domiciled in Berlin, Yordan Kamdzhalov has recently been unanimously chosen as the General Music Director of the City of Heidelberg, a position he takes up Autumn 2012.  This involves his being Chief Conductor of the Opera Theatre, of the Philharmonic Orchestra and of the Heidelberg Schloss Festival.

And after a highly successful series of performances with the National Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra Yordan has been just invited as Principal Guest Conductor.

In the interim he will conduct the premiere of Carmen at the Komische Oper Berlin, Hamburger Symphoniker, Orquestra Sinfonica Portuguesa in Lisbon, The English Chamber Orchestra at London’s Cadogan Hall, Boheme at the Baltimore Opera Theatre, Contes d’Hoffman at the Komische Oper Berlin, Boston debut with the musikFabrik Köln, as well as an international concert tour with the Mezzo-soprano Vesselina Kasarova and the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra.

He recently conducted Carmen and Turandot at the Theater Magdeburg, Maria Stuarda at the Staatstheater Darmstadt and made his debut at the Theater Bonn. Symphonic appearances have included a concert with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin at the Philharmonie Berlin (broadcast live September 2011), the Philharmonia Orchestra at London’s Royal Festival Hall, the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin and the Orchestra Toscana at the Teatro Verdi in Florence (broadcast live in November 2011).

In 2009 he was awarded first prize (unanimously) at the Jorma Panula International Conducting Competition and 3rd prize at the Gustav Mahler International Conducting Competition Bamberg (2010).  He was also selected to work with the Philharmonia and London Philharmonic Orchestras as part of the Allianz Cultural programme which involved working with established conductors as mentors (Esa Pekka Salonen, Lorin Maazel and Vladimir Jurowski).  He was then invited by Esa-Pekka Salonen to act as Cover Conductor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic (2010).

Kamdzhalov has a particular interest in contemporary music and is Artistic Director and principal conductor of the International Ensemble Innorelatio in Berlin.  Chosen by Peter Eotvos, he took part in the Lucerne Festival Academy 2007 which included workshops with Pierre Boulez as well as a public performance of Stockhausen’s Gruppen for three orchestras. In 2005 he made his German debut conducting the World Premiere of B. Schweitzer’s opera Informationen uber Bartelby in a co-production with the Komische Oper Berlin.

In 2010 he received Deutschland Radio’s Nomination as “Best Conductor of the Year”.  (dradio - Fazit)