François-Xavier Roth

François-Xavier Paul Roth (born 6 November 1971) is a French conductor.

Biography Roth is the son of the organist Daniel Roth—the two share the same first name. His brother Vincent is a violist. Before turning to conducting, he was a flautist. Roth graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique, where his teachers included Alain Marion for flute and János Fürst for conducting.

In 2000, Roth won the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition, which led to a 2-year appointment as Assistant Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. He has also served as an assistant conductor to John Eliot Gardiner. In 2003, he founded Les Siècles, an orchestra which performs on instruments appropriate to the period of composition of each piece, from late Baroque and Classical to 20th century music, such as Ravel. In September 2011, Roth became Principal Conductor of the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg. In February 2014, the orchestra announced the extension of Roth's SWR orchestra contract through the 2015–2016 season. In the same month, February 2014, the city of Cologne announced the appointment of Roth as its next Generalmusikdirektor (GMD), which includes duties as Gürzenich-Kapellmeister and chief conductor of the Cologne Opera, effective 1 September 2015, with an initial contract of 5 years. In October 2018, his contract with the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne and the Cologne Opera was extended to 2022.

Roth was the last chief conductor of the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, before its merger with the SWR Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart to form the SWR Symphonieorchester. He conducted the final concert of the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg on 17 July 2016 in Freiburg. In March 2017, the London Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of Roth as its new principal guest conductor, effective September 2017.

In July 2020, Roth first guest-conducted the SWR Symphonieorchester. He returned to the orchestra for a subsequent guest-conducting engagement in June 2021. In September 2022, the SWR announced the appointment of Roth as the next chief conductor of the SWR Symphonieorchester, effective with the 2025–2026 season, with an initial contract of 5 years. In parallel with this announcement, the city of Cologne, also in September 2022, announced that Roth is to stand down as Gürzenich-Kapellmeister and chief conductor of the Cologne Opera at the close of the 2024–2025 season.

In May 2024, allegations of sexting and sexual harassment of musicians were made against Roth. The French magazine Le Canard enchaîné and the German online magazine VAN were the first to report on the allegations. Roth was replaced as conductor of a concert that evening by Les Siècles at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. In July 2024, the city of Cologne announced the close of Roth's tenure as Gürzenich-Kapellmeister and chief conductor of the Cologne Opera with immediate effect, one season earlier than the previously scheduled tenure conclusion, in light of these allegations.

Roth's son Félix Roth is a musician and French horn player. In January 2018, Roth was nominated "Artiste associé" at the Philharmonie de Paris, which is also linked to his work with the children's orchestra Démos, an initiative based on the model of El Sistema. Gramophone Choice) Richard Strauss – Also Sprach Zarathustra / Aus Italien, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden & Freiburg, Ed; Haenssler Classic, 2015 Richard Strauss – Eine Alpensinfonie / Don Juan, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden & Freiburg, Ed; SWR Music, 2015 France-Espagne – music by Chabrier, Massenet, Ravel, Debussy, Les Siècles, « Les Siècles Live » Ed. Musicales Actes Sud, Distri. Harmonia Mundi, 2015 The Panufnik Legacies II, London Symphony Orchestra, LSO Discovery, 2016 Ligeti – Kammerkonzert / Dix pièces pour quintette à vents / Six bagatelles, Winds of Les Siècles, « Les Siècles Live » Ed. Musicales Actes Sud, Distri. Harmonia Mundi, 2016 Richard Strauss – Symphonia Domestica, Op. 53 / Metamorphosen, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden & Freiburg, Ed; SWR Music, 2017 Ravel – Daphnis et Chloé, Les Siècles, Ed. Harmonia Mundi, 2017 Mirages – Sabine Devieilhe, Les Siècles, Ed. Warner Classics, 2017 Bartok, Concertos for violin – Renaud Capuçon, London Symphony Orchestra, Ed. Warner Classics, 2018 Ravel – Shéhérazade, ouverture de féérie, Le Tombeau de Couperin, Ma Mère L'Oye Les Siècles, Ed. Harmonia Mundi, 2018 Berlioz – Harold en Italie, Les Nuits d'été, dir. François-Xavier Roth – Tabea Zimmermann, alto – Stéphane Degout, baryton – Les Siècles – [archive] Harmonia Mundi (2019) Berlioz – La Damnation de Faust, Mathias Vidal (Faust), Anna Caterina Antonacci (Marguerite), Nicolas Courjal (Méphistophélès), Choeur Marguerite Louise, Les Siècles, 1 DVD Chateau de Versailles Spectacle 2019. The Young Debussy, dir. François-Xavier Roth – Edgar Moreau, violoncelle, London Symphony Orchestra – LSO DVD/Blu-Ray (2019) Camille Saint-Saëns, Cello Concerto n°1 & n°2, Sol Gabetta, cello, Les Siècles, conductor François-Xavier Roth. Warner (2021)