Alexander Joel (born in 1971) is a pianist and conductor.
He began his conducting career in Nürnberg, followed by positions at Baden bei Wien, Klagenfurt and the Vienna Volksoper. From 2001 he held the position of musical director at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein[1]
Joel has served as guest conductor for numerous orchestras in Europe and elsewhere, including the Bavarian State Opera, the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, the MDR Symphony Orchestra, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the Hamburg State Opera (Hamburgische Staatsoper). Outside Germany, Joel has conducted at the Teatro Reggio in Parma, Italy, the Finnish National Opera, Helsinki, Municipal Theater of Santiago, Chile, and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris, among others.
Since the 2007/2008 season Alexander Joel is the musical director (Generalmusikdirektor) of Staatstheater Braunschweig and principal conductor of Staatsorchester Braunschweig, succeeding Jonas Alber, who had led the orchestra since 1997.[2]
Alexander Joel is the grandson of Karl Amson Joel and the half brother of singer/songwriter Billy Joel.[3]
The relationship only came to light when Austrian film-maker Beate Thalberg was doing research for a documentary about Alexander Joel for a Vienna television station.[4]