François-Xavier Roth (born 6 November 1971, Paris) is a French conductor. His father is the organist Daniel Roth. His brother Vincent Roth is a violist. Before turning to conducting, Roth was a flutist.[1] Roth graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique, where his teachers included Alain Marion and János Fürst.
In 2000, Roth won the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition, which led to his appointment as Assistant Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra for two years. He has also served as an assistant conductor to John Eliot Gardiner.[2] In 2003, he founded the chamber orchestra Les Siècles, which mixes use of modern and period instruments. Les Siècles and Roth have toured outside France to Italy, Germany, England and Japan. Their commercial recordings include a CD of Bizet and Chabrier, which won a Diapason Découverte, as well as the Hans Zender arrangement of Schubert's Die Winterreise, as well as a self-produced CD on Les Siècles Live of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. The orchestra has also appeared on French television in a series entitled "Presto".
Roth began a three-year term as Associate Guest Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) in 2008. As of the 2011-2012 season, he continues in that post with the BBC NOW. Roth was music director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège (OPL) for the 2009-2010 season.[3] Roth first conducted the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra (SWR Sinfonieorchester) in March 2009. In April 2010, the SWR Sinfonieorchester announced the appointment of Roth as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2011-2012 season.[4]
| Preceded by (no predecessor) |
Artistic Director, Les Siècles 2003–present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
| Preceded by Pascal Rophé |
Music Director, Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège 2009–2010 |
Succeeded by Christian Arming |
| Preceded by Sylvain Cambreling |
Chief Conductor, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg 2011–present |
Succeeded by (incumbent) |