Robert Ziegler

In a versatile career, Robert Ziegler conducts music from Albinoni to Zappa and collaborates with artists across the musical spectrum. He trained as a pianist with Jakob Gimpel and John Ringgold and studied conducting with Franco Ferrara.

A former prize winner in the G. Fitelberg Conducting Competition, Ziegler has directed orchestras including London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Dublin’s RTE Concert and Symphony Orchestras, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

International guest conducting includes the Gulbenkian Orchestra, l’Orchestre Nationale d’Ile de France, Japan Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony and Philharmonic orchestras, San Francisco Symphony, New Zealand Symphony and Adelaide Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Spain’s Orchestra of the Asturias, and the Orchestre Nationale de Lyon. Future engagements include debuts with Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg and recording sessions for Sony Classics with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Ziegler conducted the premieres of live musical accompaniment to films including Jerry Goldsmith’s pioneering score for Planet of the Apes and Bernard Herrmann’s final film score for Martin Scorsese’s iconic Taxi Driver. He’s performed the score for Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey with the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony, Japan Philharmonic, and the London Philharmonic. He has conducted concerts of the music of John Williams including his 80th birthday gala concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

Ziegler’s extensive work in film includes recording original soundtracks by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood (There Will Be Blood, Inherent Vice), Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit), and Alberto Iglesias, Max Richter, Shigeru Umebayashi, Lorne Balfe, Michael Giacchino, Mark Isham, and Alf Clausen for The Simpsons.

Recordings include recording Pete Townshend’s Classic Quadrophenia with the Royal Philharmonic, Max Richter’s ballet Woolf Works both for Deutsche Grammophon, Ludovico Einaudi’s Divenire with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, songwriting legend Randy Newman’s Live in London DVD/CD with BBC Concert Orchestra, On an Island and Rattle That Lock DVDs/CDs for Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, and Stewart Copeland’s Orchestralli. Other recordings include From the Salon of the Princesse du Polignac: chamber theater works of Falla, Stravinsky, and Milhaud and two CDs for Decca/Universal: Berlin Cabaret Songs and But One Day with chanteuse Ute Lemper.

Pop collaborations range from Deborah Harry to Lionel Richie, Stewart Copeland, k.d. lang, Radiohead, Donny Osmond, Richard Ashcroft (The Verve), Ben Folds, and jazz legend Wayne Shorter. He’s collaborated with diverse composers including Max Richter, Jonathan Lloyd, Joby Talbot, Mark Turnage, Mike Westbrook, and conducted a wide range of 20th/21st century music.