Anja Bihlmaier

She continued piano studies with Elza Kolodin at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg, from which she graduated in 2003.

From 2004 to 2005, she held a conducting scholarship at the Mozarteum Salzburg, where she was a pupil of Dennis Russell Davies and Jorge Rotter.

From 2005 to 2008, she was part of the Conductors' Forum of the German Music Council, and participated in conducting masterclasses with Sian Edwards, Peter Gülke, Günther Herbig, Gunter Kahlert, Kenneth Kiesler, Klauspeter Seibel and Jac van Steen.

Other conducting mentors have included Kirk Trevor, Tsung Yeh, Giordano Bellincampi, Karen Kamensek and Antony Hermus.

[9] In December 2023, the Residentie Orchestra announced that Bihlmaier is to stand down as its chief conductor at the close of the 2024-2025 season.

[12] Bihlmaier returned to the BBC Philharmonic for three subsequent guest-conducting appearances,[13][14] including her debut at The Proms in July 2023.