The German conductor André de Ridder (1971) is known for his eclectic programmes and projects, which aim to engender a dialogue between different musical styles and genres. He has worked with such contemporary music specialists as Ensemble Musikfabrik, but also with the band Gorillaz, the Danish indie rockband Efterklang and jazz musician Uri Caine. In 2012, De Ridder formed stargaze, an international ensemble of young musicians who break down the barriers between pop, classical, electronic and contemporary music. De Ridder is frequently active in Great Britain, where he is a regular guest of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, the BBC Philharmonic and the Britten Sinfonia. He has been a guest conductor with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden Baden und Freiburg and the Camerata Salzburg. He has also frequently performed at the Holland Festival. He conducted 2001: A Space Odyssey and Sunken Garden (both in 2013) and In C Mali (2016). In 2013 he played violin in Brooklyn to Berlin together with Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop and Lee Ranaldo. In January 2016 he made his debut as conductor with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. As an opera conductor, De Ridder's productions have included works by Mozart, Janáček, and Henze. He conducted the English premiere of Gerald Barry's The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant at the English National Opera in 2005, the world premiere of Wolfgang Rihm’s Drei Frauen at Theater Basel in 2009 and in 2016 De Ridder was leading the Dutch National Opera in the world premiere of Only the Sound Remains.