Born in Linz in 1960, Franz Welser-Möst made his debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1986 and, following several successful appearances over the next four years, was appointed their Music Director in 1990 a position which he held until 1996. He made his first appearance with Zürich Opera in October 1992 in Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier and his appointment as Music Director was announced two years later. Between 2000-2002 he will conduct Wagner’s Ring there, culminating in two complete cycles at the Zürich Festival in 2002. Franz Welser-Möst is in great demand as guest conductor with the world’s leading orchestras on both sides of the Atlantic. In the United States he has conducted the New York Philharmonic, the Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, the Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In Europe he has performed with the Bayerischer Rundfunk, Vienna Philharmonic and Concertgebouw Orchestras as well as the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala. He will make his Berlin Philharmonic debut in January 2002 and has been appointed Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra effective from the 2002/03 season.