Born in Oxford, Daniel Harding began his career assisting Sir Simon Rattle at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, with which he made his professional debut in 1994. He went on to assist Claudio Abbado at the Berliner Philharmoniker, making his debut with the orchestra at the 1996 Berlin Festival.

Mr. Harding is Music and Artistic Director of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. He was Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris from 2016 to 2019, and Principal Guest Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra from 2007 to 2017. He also holds the lifetime title of Conductor Laureate of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. In 2018,

Mr. Harding was named Artistic Director of the Anima Mundi festival. In 2020, he was named Conductor-in-Residence of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande for the 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 seasons.

Mr. Harding is a regular visitor to the Wiener Philharmoniker, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, and Filarmonica della Scala. In 2011, he conducted Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci at La Scala, for which he was awarded the prestigious Franco Abbiati Prize. Closely associated with the Aix-en-Provence Festival, he has conducted new productions of Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni, The Turn of the Screw, La Traviata, Eugene Onegin, and Le nozze di Figaro.

Mr. Harding has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Virgin/EMI, and Harmonia Mundi. His recording of Billy Budd with the London Symphony Orchestra won a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. The Turn of the Screw with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra won the 2002 Choc de l’année, Grand Prix de l’Académie Charles Cros, and a Gramophone Award.

In 2002, Mr. Harding was awarded the title Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government, and in 2017 was nominated Officier Arts et Lettres. In 2012, he was elected a member of The Royal Swedish Academy of Music. He is a qualified airline pilot.

Photo: Daniel Harding (c) Julian Hargreaves