Simon Gaudenz is acclaimed for profiled, lively, and versatile interpretations that unite structural clarity with vivid color. Since 2018, as General Music Director of the Jena Philharmonic, he has reshaped the orchestra’s profile through fresh programming and marquee projects—above all the Mahler–Scartazzini cycle, pairing Mahler’s symphonies with associated works by Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini; the series tours internationally and its first three albums (covering Symphonies 1–7) have been hailed as a milestone.

A frequent guest with leading ensembles, Gaudenz has conducted the Staatskapelle Dresden, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Orchestre National de France, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Russian National Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, WDR Sinfonieorchester, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, the radio orchestras of Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Saarbrücken, and the philharmonics of Monte-Carlo, Lyon, Luxembourg, as well as the Bavarian State Orchestra. Festival appearances include Schleswig-Holstein, Berliner Festwochen, Thüringer Bachwochen, Südtirol Festival, Carl Nielsen Festival, and Schwetzingen.

Close partnerships link him with soloists such as Gidon Kremer, Anne Sofie von Otter, Igor Levit, Michael Barenboim, Daniel Ottensamer, Veronika Eberle, Renaud Capuçon, Arabella Steinbacher, Benjamin Appl, Sabine Meyer, Lauma Skride, Lise de la Salle, Lilya Zilberstein, and Maximilian Hornung. Earlier posts include Principal Conductor of Collegium Musicum Basel and founding Artistic Director of camerata variabile basel; he later served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Odense Symphony and Principal Conductor of Hamburger Camerata (regularly at the Elbphilharmonie).

His discography spans a complete Schumann symphonies cycle and the OPUS KLASSIK 2020-winning Gossec album (cpo). Recent releases with NDR Radiophilharmonie and Jena Philharmonic (Spohr, Loewe, Wolf, Weigl) have met with strong critical acclaim.