Ainārs Rubiķis

Latvian-born, Ainārs Rubiķis came to international attention as winner of the 2010 Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition. The following year, he was recipient of the second Nestlé and Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award and subsequently conducted the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester at the Salzburger Festspiele.

From 2018 – 2022, Ainārs served as Music Director of Komische Oper Berlin, gaining critical praise for his consistently high-quality performances across a diverse range of operatic repertoire. He previously served as Music Director and Chief Conductor of Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre from 2012 to 2014, and was awarded a prestigious Golden Mask Award as “Best Conductor” for the Company’s new production of Bernstein’s Mass. He won his second ‘Best Conductor’ Golden Mask award in 2020 for his new production of Rusalka with the Bolshoi Theatre.

Projects for the 2023/24 season include appearances with the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Montpellier, Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, Tiroler Landesorchester Innsbruck, NFM Wrocław Philharmonic and the Staatsoper orchestras of both Stuttgart and Hannover.