Stefan Soltész

Stefan Soltész (born István Soltész, ; 6 January 1949 – 22 July 2022) was a Hungarian-born Austrian conductor. Trained in Vienna, from 1997 to 2013 he was artistic director of the Aalto Theatre and in Essen, leading the opera house to international recognition.

Life Soltész was born as István Soltész in Nyíregyháza, Hungary, on 6 January 1949 and received piano lessons from age four. He came to Vienna in 1956, where he became a member of the Wiener Sängerknaben at age ten. The opera house was voted "Opera House of the Year" by Opernwelt in 2008, and the Essen Philharmonic orchestra was named "Orchestra of the Year" in 2003 and 2008.

Personal life Soltész was married to Michaela Selinger, a mezzo soprano.

Recordings Soltész conducted recordings such as excerpts from Puccini's La Bohème, Giuseppe Gazzaniga's Don Giovanni and Alexander von Zemlinsky's Der Kreidekreis, as well as arias and songs with Grace Bumbry, Lucia Popp and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. In 2010, he recorded the Alban Berg's Lulu Suite and Hans Werner Henze's Appassionatamente plus with the Essen Philharmonic and soprano Julia Bauer, as part of the Ruhr being European Capital of Culture in 2010. The album was nominated for Grammy and ICMA awards.