Arnaud Arbet has established himself as one of the most sought-after conductors of his generation in the fields of modern and contemporary repertoire as well as opera. He is regularly invited by prestigious European institutions, including the Madrid Symphony Orchestra — where he has conducted Schönberg’s Verklärte Nacht and a Mozart programme — the Robert Schumann Philharmonic in Chemnitz (Der Mond by Carl Orff, Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty, and a symphonic concert), as well as the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne. With the latter, he conducts several major productions: Rihm’s Die Eroberung von Mexico, Zimmermann’s Die Soldaten as co-conductor, Kagel’s Mare Nostrum, Salieri’s La Scuola de’ Gelosi, Bizet’s Carmen, as well as a symphonic concert.
He also collaborates with the Giorgio Bernasconi Ensemble in Milan — notably at La Scala —, the Norrlandsoperan Symphony Orchestra in Umeå, Sweden, for The Tales of Hoffmann, broadcast on Swedish national television, and with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra in Bucharest, where he conducts Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre and Kurtág’s Fin de partie (at the George Enescu International Festival), as well as a concert dedicated to French symphonic music.
As the founder of the ensemble Le Seuil Musical, Arnaud Arbet explores the artistic aesthetics of the first half of the 20th century and the many “thresholds” that shape this period. The ensemble performs in Paris, Tokyo, Berlin, Bamberg, Grenoble and Aubervilliers.
In parallel, Arnaud Arbet develops his activity as a composer. His works are performed by the Seta Ensemble, THReNSeMBLe, Le Seuil Musical, the George Enescu Philharmonic Choir, as well as by artists such as Marie-Adeline Henry, Alexandra Untiedt, Vincent Le Texier and pianist Kyoko Nojima.
Arnaud Arbet began his career as a vocal coach at the Atelier Lyrique of the Paris National Opera before becoming assistant conductor at Teatro Real in Madrid. He was subsequently invited to many opera houses and festivals, working alongside Pierre Boulez, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Simon Rattle, Semyon Bychkov, Ingo Metzmacher, Sylvain Cambreling and Alejo Pérez. He later became György Kurtág’s assistant for five years for Fin de partie at La Scala in Milan.
In September 2025, he conducted the Romanian premiere of this opera at the George Enescu International Festival, giving the audience the opportunity to discover the decisive importance of his role in the creation of the work.