Conductor Leslie Suganandarajah is a natural communicator, bringing abundant charisma, energy, and sensitivity to his performances both on the symphonic and operatic stages. Recently named Music Director Designate of Theater Freiburg with an initial five-year tenure beginning in 2027/28, he is currently Music Director of the Salzburg Landestheater since 2019 and Chief Conductor of Concerts of the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater as of fall 2026.

26/27 sees Suganandarajah conclude his eight-year tenure in Salzburg exploring the repertoire of Richard Strauss, von Weber, Humperdinck, J. Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Gounod, Vivan & Ketan Bhatti, and Peter Eötvös with productions of Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel, Offenbach’s Robinson Crusoe, and Adolphe Adam’s Giselle. In Oldenburg, his first season will build off of core symphonies from Bruckner, Beethoven, Mozart, and Schubert, also highlighting Faure’s Requiem and culminating in a new production of Beethoven’s Fidelio.

Recent and upcoming guest engagements include Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, Calgary Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Brucknerorchester Linz, Aachen Symphony Orchestra, Göttinger Symphonie Orchester, Berlin Konzerthausorchester, MDR Sinfonieorchester, WDR Funkhausorchester, Robert-Schumann-Philharmonie in Chemnitz, Norwegian Radio, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Ulster Orchestra, as well as his debut at Volksoper Wien leading J.Strauß / M. Eisenreich’s Aschenbrödel Traum.

As a young child, Suganandarajah’s family fled the civil war in Sri Lanka and settled in Germany, where he began lessons in piano, flute and organ. He studied at the Musikhochschules in Hannover and Lübeck and completed his conducting studies at the Musikhochschule Franz Liszt in Weimar. He was accepted onto the Deutsche Dirigentenforum in 2011 and was awarded the Hermann-Hildebrandt Scholarship for young conductors, leading to his appointment as Assistant Conductor to Michael Sanderling and the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra for the 2014–15 season. Prior to Salzburg, he has held Kapellmeister positions in Koblenz and Linz.