Born in Los Angeles in a family of musicians with Greek roots, Evan-Alexis Christ spent his childhood in Las Vegas. He played oboe and piano at an early age and studied mathematics and composition at Harvard University and conducting at the University of Music and Theater in Leipzig.
From 2008 to 2018 he was general music director of the Cottbus State Theater and, according to reviewers, did "a great job" and brought "cosmopolitanism [...], charisma and enthusiasm – it dusted off the musical life at the theater and inspired many new audiences." In 2010 he was voted Cottbuser of the Year by the citizens of Cottbus. Its concert programs in the series "8 world premieres in 8 concerts" were celebrated in the German press for several years and in 2011 the orchestra won the German Music Publishers' Association Award for the best concert program of all German orchestras.
During his tenure as GMD, the number of subscribers rose by over 35 percent to a capacity of 95 percent and the orchestra went on international tours for the first time in its 100-years history and made several CD recordings. Together with musicians from the orchestra, he developed innovative formats such as a new family concert series, midnight concerts, flash mobs, crossover projects and film music concerts. In addition, his interpretations of Mahler and Beethoven symphonies and Wagner's Ring cycle received special praise.
The high quality of the orchestra's artistic work was recognized and supported by high-value grants from the Ernst-von-Siemens Foundation, the Berlin Academy of the Arts, from Impuls Neue Musik and the federal government's “Excellent orchestral landscape in Germany” program.
After his time in Cottbus, concert engagements took him to various orchestras in Germany, including Bremen Philharmonic, WDR Funkhaus Orchester, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau, Saarland State Theater and State Theater Oldenburg as well as on international concert stages, such as in the summer of 2019 to a series of several concerts with the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon Lezion Tel Aviv and in January 2020 to the Orquestra Classica da Madeira.
This season, Evan-Alexis Christ conducted the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra in the opening concert of the 150th season, which was the orchestra's first concert since the lockdown. In October 2020 he conducted the Georgian Chamber Orchestra Ingolstadt in a concert series including CD recording for the Capriccio label with music by Jenö Takács, followed by an invitation from the NDR Radiophilharmonie for a film music production and again made a guest appearance at the Orquestra Classica da Madeira.
At the end of November he will make his house debut at the Sofia National Opera with Plamen Kartaloff’s new production of Strauss’ Elektra. In addition, concerts with the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, New Westphalia Philharmonic Orchestra, Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam will follow.
In the summer of 2018, Evan-Alexis Christ made his debut at the Immling Festival with the new production of Weber's Der Freischütz with the Munich Symphony Orchestra and Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice and was subsequently invited for the new productions of Strauss' Die Fledermaus (2019) and Rossini's La Cenerentola (2021).
In addition to an extensive classical symphonic repertoire, he has already conducted over 60 world premieres and has received many high accolades for his innovative concert programs. His extensive operatic repertoire ranges from all of Mozart's great operas, Wagner, Strauss, Verdi and Puccini to contemporary opera.
Evan-Alexis Christ has already worked with over 50 orchestras and opera houses, including concerts with the Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Sinfonieorchester des Südwestrundfunk Stuttgart, Symphony Orchestra of the Hessischer Rundfunk Frankfurt, Bremen Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique du Mulhouse, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and has made guest appearances at the Aalto Theater Essen, State
Theater Wiesbaden, State Opera Hanover, State Theatre Kassel, Theatre Bonn, National Theatre Mannheim and the Theatre St. Gallen. In 2011 he made his debut at the Salzburg Festival conducting the Salvatore Sciarrino's opera Macbeth with Klangforum Wien Orchestra.
After his first engagement as a Head of Music at the Portland Opera (Oregon) in 2003, he was employed as first Kapellmeister and deputy general music director at the Mainfranken Theater in Würzburg from 2003 to 2005. He then worked from 2005 to 2008 as first Kapellmeister at the Wuppertaler Bühnen and at the same time took over temporarily the post of general music director of the Mainfranken Theater in Würzburg from 2005 to 2006.
