Switzerland's Collegium Musicum Basel Appoints New Chief Conductor

Dutch conductor Jan Schultsz will step into the role

Jan Schultsz will take on the position of Chief Conductor of the Collegium Musicum Basel alongside his role as a professor at the Musikakademie Basel. He succeeds Johannes Schlaefli, who will conduct his final concert with the orchestra on June 21, 2024.

Conductor Benjamin Reiners has also been named as the orchestra's first permanent Guest Conductor.

Hailing originally from Amsterdam, Jan Schultsz studied the horn and the piano there, and has held horn positions in orchestras including the Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam, Concerto Köln, and the Freiburger Barockorchester.

He trained as a conductor in the early 1990s, studying in St Petersburg with Manfred Honeck, Ralf Weikert, and Ilya Musin. He has previously held conducting positions with Norske Opera in Oslo, the Hungarian State Opera Budapest, and the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège.

"I feel honored and very pleased to be able to lead one of the great traditional orchestras in Basel as chief conductor," Schultsz said. "Being able to give people the gift of wonderful music and emotion will be my top priority. I am happy to take on the responsibility of enriching the musical life in our cultural city at a high level together with our committed musicians."

"I am very much looking forward to being able to play regularly as first guest conductor with the Collegium Musicum Basel in the Stadtcasino Basel, one of the most beautiful and best concert halls in the world," said Benjamin Reiners.

"I have had the opportunity to get to know a highly motivated and open orchestra with first-class musicians," he added. "I am full of enthusiasm to contribute to the further development of this orchestra through continuous artistic collaboration, to shape it musically and to position it in the Basel music landscape."