Dane Lam

conductor

"He was able to get the kind of precision in the complex ensembles that one expects of a top Italian maestro in this repertoire ...
Thanks to Lam's witty and precise conducting, the ensembles went with an authentically madcap Rossinian zing." 
Hugh Canning, Opera

Australian-Chinese conductor Dane Lam is Principal Conductor of China’s Xi’an Symphony Orchestra and enjoys a career spanning four continents, with a repertoire that encompasses both symphonic and operatic masterworks. He was recently appointed Music Director of the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of State Opera South Australia.

Dane made his professional debut at just eighteen with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Since then, he has conducted many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Melbourne, Queensland, Adelaide, West Australian, Canberra, Dunedin, Kunming, Shandong, and Suzhou Symphony Orchestras; Münchner Rundfunkorchester; Het Residentie Orkest; City of London Sinfonia; Manchester Camerata; Southbank Sinfonia; RTÉ Concert Orchestra; Beethoven Orchester Bonn; Verbier Festival Orchestra and the Juilliard Orchestra. His operatic credits include Opera Australia, Opera Queensland, Scottish Opera, West Australian Opera, State Opera South Australia, Chelsea Opera Group, and Bury Court Opera.

His London mainstage debut with La cenerentola at Opera Holland Park drew widespread critical acclaim, leading to return engagements for Così fan tutte, L’arlesiana, Don Giovanni, Aida, Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Norma. In 2018, he was nominated for Best Newcomer at the International Opera Awards.

Since his appointment as Principal Conductor in 2014, Dane has played a central role in the transformation of the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra. Under his leadership, subscription offerings have nearly doubled, audience numbers have grown, and the orchestra has presented the 3000-year-old city’s first professional staged operas—Tosca in 2015 and Le nozze di Figaro in 2016. He has raised the artistic standard and profile of the orchestra to attract such soloists as José Carreras, Nikolai Demidenko, Midori Goto, Stephen Hough, Yundi Li, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Feng Ning and Liwei Qin. 

Dane made his Opera Australia debut in 2019 with La bohème and has since conducted Don Giovanni and Orpheus and Eurydice. He returns in 2025 for further performances of Orpheus. Other recent operatic highlights include Così fan tutte (State Opera South Australia), Le nozze di Figaro, Orpheus, and La traviata (Opera Queensland), La clemenza di Tito (National Opera Canberra), La bohème (Hawai’i Opera Theatre), and Carmen (Scottish Opera and West Australian Opera).

On the concert stage, he has most recently appeared with the Xi’an, Hawai’i, Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, Adelaide, and West Australia Symphony Orchestras.

Upcoming engagements in 2025 include a full Beethoven cycle with the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra, The Magic Flute (Hong Kong Opera and State Opera South Australia), and Roméo et Juliette (State Opera South Australia).

Representation: Australasia

MusicVine: Europe/North America

Dane’s Personal Site