Pedro Halffter Caro, born in Madrid, is Artistic Director of both Seville’s Teatro de la Maestranza and the Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, and Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria.

He has conducted some of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, New Japan Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Berlin, Dresden Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic and Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, as well as most of the orchestras in Spain, at such major international venues as the Vienna Musikverein, the Konzerthaus Berlin, London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Madrid’s Teatro Real, Tokyo’s Opera City Concert Hall and the Shanghai Concert Hall.

Considered one of the best orchestral conductors of his generation, he has also established a successful career in the opera house, conducting a wide-ranging repertoire of over thirty works, including Bizet’s Carmen and Bellini’s Norma with the Dresden Philharmonic, and Puccini’s La fanciulla del West and Turandot, Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde and The Flying Dutchman and Busoni’s Turandot at the Teatro de la Maestranza with the Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla. He also conducted the Spanish premieres of Schreker’s Der ferne Klang, Zemlinsky’s Der Zwerg and Eine florentinische Tragödie, Busoni’s Doktor Faust and Strauss’s Die schweigsame Frau at the Teatro de la Maestranza, and of Krenek’s Orpheus und Euridyke at Madrid’s Teatro Real.

He conducted Katharina Wagner’s new production of Tannhäuser, and in 2009 made his debut at the Berlin Staatsoper with Strauss’ Salome, returning to that theatre twice within a year to conduct Der ferne Klang and further performances of Salome. To Munich he was invited for: Strauss’ Die schweigsame Frau.

Pedro Halffter has composed more than twenty works. Among others the symphonic summary of Tannhäuser, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung. These have been premiered by, among others, the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerakademie, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and Ensemble Intercontemporain, at venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid and the Dortmund Philharmonie.

In June 2016 he has conducted his version of Der Kaiser von Atlantis at the Teatro Real in Madrid and was invited to the Puccini Festival in Macerata in 2018.

Pedro Halffter is a member of Seville’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts of St Isabella of Hungary (Real Academia de Bellas Artes de Santa Isabel de Hungría).