Christian Blex is a German conductor and conducting scholar of the Karajan-Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker from September 2022 and assisting Kirill Petrenko from 2022/23 after having won the “Siemens Conductors Scholarship” in an audition in the Philharmonie Berlin (together with Oscar Jockel). Next to assisting the chief conductor in concerts and operas with the Berliner Philharmoniker, the two-year scholarship includes leading own concert projects with the scholars of the Karajan-Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Recently, he had his debut in the Philharmonie Berlin Kammersaal together with the Karajan-Academy and Camilla Tilling. He previously stepped in at short notice for Daniel Harding for a concert with the Karajan-Academy in Schloss Esterhazy with soloist Stefan Dohr. Next to Kirill Petrenko, Christian has assisted Gustavo Dudamel, Christian Thielemann, Tugan Sokhiev, Sakari Oramo, and Kent Nagano in Berlin.
As of 2023, Christian is the new assistant conductor of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester. In 2023, he assisted Daniele Gatti for the spring tour, Daniel Harding for a special project with Martha Argerich at the Rencontres musicales d’Evian, and Jakub Hrusa for the summer tour in addition to making his debut with the GMJO in August.
As a conductor, Christian has worked with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Karajan-Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra, the Opole Philharmonic, and the Bergische Symphoniker. In masterclasses he conducted amongst others the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Jena Philharmonie, and musicians from the Oslo Philharmonic, Norwegian National Opera, and Norwegian Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 2020 he was selected as the assistant conductor of British Youth Opera for that season and has been working at the Norwegian Opera Academy as a conductor as well as an assistant to Gregor Bühl. Before taking up his studies, he has worked as an assistant for orchestras, opera companies, and ensembles such as Nevill Holt Opera, Northern Ireland Opera, Instruments of Time and Truth, the BBC Singers, and the Royal Northern Sinfonia. Previously, he was taught in the UK by Toby Purser, Tim Redmond, and Paul McGrath.
Currently Christian Blex studies in the class of Ole Kristian Ruud at the Norwegian Academy of Music. In 2021/22 he studied as an exchange student in the renowned classes of Prof Johannes Schlaefli at the Zürich Academy of Arts and Prof Nicolàs Pasquet at the University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar. He is a fellow of both the German Forum Dirigieren as well as the Norwegian Dirigentforum.
Christian holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Warwick, a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge, and is a PhD student at the University of Oxford holding the Alan Turing Institute studentship.