(Credit: Claudia Höhne)

On Nov. 20, 2025, German conductor Lutz Rademacher died at the age of 56.

The news was announced by the Landestheater Detmold, where he served as General Music Director from 2013 to 2021 and led the house’s symphonic orchestra.

In a statement, the company said, “On behalf of the Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra’s board expresses its condolences on the death of its former General Music Director. We, the musicians of the State Theatre’s Symphony Orchestra, learned with great sadness of the death of Lutz Rademacher. His approachable and communicative nature enriched the daily work of the orchestra and the entire theatre. He always had an open ear for the wishes and ideas that came from the orchestra. He expanded the orchestra’s repertoire by performing modern and contemporary compositions, sometimes in direct contact with the composers. Furthermore, he was a strong advocate for greater stage presence for the orchestra, which is important to us as an orchestra. Through his life and work in Detmold, he brought the audience and the orchestra closer together.”

Born in Lübeck in 1969, Rademacher studied piano and conducting at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. He began his career in Coburg and Halberstadt and later held the position of assistant to the chief conductor at Theater Basel in 2003.

From 2005 to 2006, the conductor worked as head of music studies and musical assistant at the Bayreuth Festival, and in 2007, he was appointed First Kapellmeister and deputy General Music Director at Theater Freiburg.

In 2013, Rademacher joined the Landestheater Detmold, where he led a wide range of opera and concert projects.

After his tenure ended, he joined the Advanced Fellowship Programme at the University of Hamburg, and worked as a teacher and lecturer.