Young Graz captain Patrick Hahn before the start in Wuppertal

As of next season, Wuppertal will have the youngest general director of music in German theaters. Patrick Hahn, born on July 17, 1995 in Graz, presented his plans on Monday. At his inaugural concert on September 1, music will be played by Richard Strauss and soprano Marlies Petersen will be performed, the 25-year-old said at his new job.

Han is a conductor, composer and pianist. He has received numerous awards and has worked with the Munich Philharmonic, the Jorzenich Orchestra in Cologne, the Dresden Philharmonic, and the Hamburg State Opera, among others. In Wuppertal, he plans, among other things, to perform Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and to direct Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” at the opera.

The new head of music at Wuppertal no longer has an assistant teacher at his side. He is constantly learning from his colleagues as well as from orchestra musicians. “Doing something you can only learn a small part of in university,” he said. “You learn a lot from it on the way.”

In addition to classical music, the 25-year-old plays jazz and Chansonnier Georg Kreisler songs. With the songs of the singer, who died in 2011 (“Tauben vergiften im Park”), Han plays a cabaret music program in which he sings and accompanies him on the piano. As the general music director, the Austrian is the successor to Britain’s Julia Jones, whose farewell party is planned for Monday night.