Described as a “magician” by NRC, Karel Deseure is a sought-after conductor on both the operatic and symphonic stages.
In recent seasons, he has appeared at the helm of orchestras including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Netherlands Philharmonic, Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, Belgian National Orchestra, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de chambre de Lausanne, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, Orchestre national de Cannes, Orchestre de chambre de Paris and the philharmonie zuidnederland. He collaborates regularly with world-renowned soloists such as Katia and Marielle Labèque, Anastasia Kobekina, Maximilian Hornung, Bryce Dessner, Marie-Pierre Langlamet, Jonathan Fournel, Sarah Brady, Dorottya Lang, Christianne Stotijn, Marie Oppert and Gérard Caussé.
Since his operatic debut in 2016 with La Bohème by Puccini at Opera Zuid, he has conducted a wide-ranging repertoire from Verdi to Britten, Ravel and Weill, appearing at prestigious opera houses including Opera North, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Nederlandse Reisopera, Opera Zuid and Opéra de Toulon. Since 2019, Karel Deseure has served as Professor of Orchestral Conducting at the University of Amsterdam.
