Hans Zender

Born 1936 in Wiesbaden.

He had positions as chief conductor in Bonn, Kiel and at the Saarländischen Rundfunk, before he became general music director in 1984 in Hamburg. He was chief conductor of the radio chamber orchestra in Hilversum from 1987 to 1990.

Since 1988 Zender is a professor for composition at the Frankfurt Music Conservatory (Musikhochschule) and has been active internationally as a guest conductor. As a composer, Zender follows the school of Wolfgang Fortner, with whom he studied at the Freiburg Musikhochschule from 1957 to 1960. Strong impulses also came from Bernd Alois Zimmermann, with whom he spent a year’s stay at the Villa Massimo in Rome.

Hans Zender has written chamber and orchestral music, in particular works, which include speach. His previous principle works are the operas “Stephen Climax” (after James Joyce, 1979/1984) and “Don Quijote de la Mancha”. Publication of various essays under the title “Happy New Ears” and multiple TV and LP recordings.