Australian conductor Nicholas Carter has been appointed as the next General Music Director of Staatsoper Stuttgart and Staatsorchester Stuttgart. His term will commence in August 2026. He replaces Cornelius Meister, who has held the position since 2018.

Nicholas Carter. Photo © Admill Kuyler

Carter brings his expertise as a Wagner and Strauss conductor to Stuttgart, but is also at home in contemporary music: he was responsible for the acclaimed American premiere of Brett Dean’s opera Hamlet at Metropolitan Opera New York and has also acquired international profile as a concert conductor.

Melbourne-born Carter began his conducting career as an assistant conductor with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the mentorship of Simone Young and Sir Donald Runnicles. He took on Kapellmeister roles at both Hamburg State Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin, for whom he conducted the Ring Cycle earlier this year; Limelight review Paul Solar lauded his performance in a four-star review.

In 2016, Carter was appointed Chief Conductor of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. He was the youngest ASO chief ever, and the first Australian to lead an Australian state orchestra in almost 30 years.

In 2021, Carter became Chief Conductor of...