Since 2024, German conductor Luis Schmidt has served as Director of Music for Capella Edina, the City of Edinburgh’s Philharmonic Orchestra, which he founded under the auspices of the city’s Lord Provost as its first professional philharmonic ensemble in nearly 90 years. Schmidt marked his debut with the orchestra conducting Anton Bruckner’s Sixth Symphony. Highlights of the current season include performances of Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Oboe Concerto, Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, as well as Max Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy.

Born in 2004 into a non-musical family, Schmidt is driven by a mission to make classical music more accessible to wider audiences. He has already commissioned and premiered two new works by the young composer James Clay, while presenting a varied repertoire in thoughtfully curated programmes that have been commended for their artistry and creativity.

While attending grammar school in Munich, Schmidt began studying the trumpet before gaining his first conducting experience. At the age of 17, he entered the tutelage of the internationally renowned conductor and Haydn scholar Bruno Weil, who continues to mentor him. Following his studies in the United Kingdom, Schmidt relocated to Switzerland in late 2025.

His artistic profile is shaped by a particular fascination with the works of Anton Bruckner, Richard Wagner, and Edward Elgar. His sound world is frequently described as dark, powerful, and quintessentially “German”, yet possessed of a profound intimacy.

In past seasons, Schmidt has worked with the baritone Arthur Bruce and the pianist Amy Laurenson. In the current season, he performs alongside the oboist Ralf Ebner and the young violinist Andrea Cicalese. The upcoming season will see Schmidt making highly anticipated debuts in Berlin, London, and Zurich with works by Strauss, Hindemith, Wagner, and Vaughan Williams, followed by an international tour with Capella Edina through Munich, Hamburg, Zurich, and Bern.

His work is supported by the opera legend Sir Thomas Allen, who has taken a particular interest in Schmidt’s commitment to democratising classical music and fostering an inclusive orchestral culture. In addition to this, Schmidt sustains ties with the German Ambassador to Switzerland, the Bavarian State Representation in London, as well as the Duke of Hamilton.

Alongside his conducting career, Schmidt is currently a PhD researcher in musicology at the University of Zurich. There, he is examining the relationship between Bruckner and Wagner, as well as its implications for the performance of Bruckner’s works.