„Thanks to his profound musicality, comprehensive knowledge of repertoire across all stylistic periods, and outstanding conducting skills, Dorian Keilhack is one of the rare conductors who ensures a composer’s work is in capable hands.“  – Aribert Reimann

Dorian Keilhack comes from a family of noted musicians with roots in England, Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and Israel. His repertoire spans over 80 operas and encompasses symphonic traditions from the Baroque era to the 20th century. 

With over 20 years of experience, Keilhack has led orchestras across Europe, South America, and Asia. He has conducted at institutions such as the Bonn Opera, Regensburg Theater, Nuremberg State Theater, Innsbruck State Theater, Bern City Theater, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Collegium Novum Zürich, Archangelsk State Symphony Orchestra, Sinaloa Symphony Orchestra in Mexico, Gotha-Suhl Philharmonic, and the Lower Silesian Philharmonic in Poland. He has also collaborated with ensembles and festivals including the Interharmony Festival Orchestra in Italy, Collegium Musicum Pommersfelden, and the International Young Orchestra Academy in Bayreuth. 

Keilhack studied piano and conducting at the universities in Nuremberg and Freiburg, followed by advanced training at the Juilliard School in New York. He was mentored by Werner Andreas Albert, Otto Werner Müller, Leon Fleisher, Christoph Eschenbach, and Georg Schmöhe. 

In 1998, Keilhack began his professional career as a répétiteur at the Nuremberg Theater. The following year, he joined the Tyrolean State Theater in Innsbruck, working as répétiteur with conducting duties and assistant to the music director. By 2003, he was conducting full productions and became known for his work in contemporary music, conducting numerous premieres and guest performances in Salzburg and Vienna. 

From 2005 to 2008, he served as conductor and director of studies at the Erfurt Opera. During this period, he also led the Tyrolean Ensemble for New Music as its artistic director. A production of Oedipus Rex by Stravinsky, which he conducted, received Austria’s Independent Theater Award for Best Opera Production in 2004. 

Keilhack debuted with Collegium Novum Zürich at the Zurich Festival in 2008 and subsequently became First Conductor at the Bern City Theater. His repertoire included works such as Der Rosenkavalier, La Bohème, and The Flying Dutchman. In 2010, he recorded Per Nørgård’s The Divine Tivoli. 

Since 2014 Keilhack leads the Camerata Franconia, a chamber orchestra based in Erlangen. Under his leadership, the orchestra embarked on a highly praised tour of China in 2020. 

Significant achievements with the Vogtland Philharmonie include a 2018 performance at the Vienna Musikverein’s Golden Hall and numerous concerts as guest conductor beginning in 2019, leading to his appointment as Chief Conductor of the Vogtland Philharmonie, a position he held until 2024.

A dedicated educator, Keilhack has taught masterclasses internationally and served as a guest professor for Miami Frost University’s summer program. Since 2014, Dorian Keilhack leads the opera studio at the Innsbruck State Conservatory in Austria, and since 2024 he is the Artistic Director of Collegium Musicum Pommersfelden, an international orchestra academy that brings together young musicians from around the world at Weissenstein Castle in Bavaria.