Fresh from his April 2010 appointment as Yomiuri Nippon Symphony principal conductor, Sylvain Cambreling is to take over as music director of the Stuttgart State Opera from 2012-13.

The French-born conductor will collaborate closely with Stuttgart artistic director designate Jossi Wieler, who is due to become the company’s artistic director when Manfred Honeck relinquishes the role in 2011. The two will work together on their first production during the 2011-12 season.

Cambreling is currently chief conductor of the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg and principal guest conductor of Klangforum Wien. He previously worked as music director of the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels for a period of ten years and as music director of Frankfurt Opera during the 1990s. In 2010 he received the MIDEM Contemporary Music Award for his recording of music by Messiaen with the SWR Sinfonie.

Charlotte Smith