Michael Ellis Ingram is Chief Conductor of the Staatsoperette Dresden, a theater that presents opera, operetta, ballet, musical theater, and orchestral concerts. He has served as Kapellmeister of two of Germany’s oldest orchestras: the Loh-Orchester Sondershausen (est. 1600) and the Mecklenburgische Staatskapelle Schwerin (est. 1563). Michael has collaborated with composers Peter Ruzicka, Dominik Argento, and Rhiannon Giddens, and he has brought contemporary classical music to new audiences at a variety of nontraditional venues: a cathedral, a vaudeville theater, a foundry, a yacht club, a salt mine, and a zoo. As a music educator, Michael has taught at the conservatories of Leipzig, Dresden, and Hamburg, as well as at The Salzburg Institute of Religion, Culture and the Arts.
As a composer and orchestrator, Michael celebrated simultaneous world premieres on two continents with Seattle Opera’s production of Jubilee and Theater Bremen’s production of his musical The 35th of May in October 2024. He also wrote the book, music, and lyrics and debuted as Stage Director of the musical Erwin and Elmire, which opened in June 2024 at the Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater Schwerin.
Michael’s interests extend far beyond the realm of music. He has published poetry and prose, lectured on literature, race, film, and theology, and moderated for NPR member station KBIA. In his free time, he can be found folding origami in a windowsill or standing in quiet contemplation of a bronze sculpture.
Other recent highlights include Omar (Boston Lyric Opera, 2023), Blue (New Orleans Opera, 2023), Aida (Barclays Arena Hamburg, 2024), La bohème, Show Boat (Staatsoperette Dresden, 2024), She Who Dared (world premiere, Chicago Opera Theater, 2025), and Sunday in the Park with George (The Glimmerglass Festival, 2025).
