Raised in a family of musicians, his childhood and youth in Switzerland were filled with musical inspiration and activities, initially focusing on the cello and piano. After studying cello in Winterthur and Hamburg, he pursued conducting under Professor Christof Prick at the University of Music and Theatre Hamburg. At the age of 15, Tobias Engeli stood on the conductor’s podium for the first time—and has loved the profession ever since. Today, he is Kapellmeister at the Musikalische Komödie Leipzig and the Leipzig Opera.
His versatility and openness have taken him beyond the traditional opera repertoire to world premieres, such as at the Munich Biennale in 2008, contemporary pop musicals, and even a DVD production with the successful Leipzig-based band “Die Prinzen.” He also has a strong passion for working with young people: he leads several youth orchestras and organizes numerous education projects.
Since 2021, he has been the Artistic Director of the Saxon Youth Orchestra (Landesjugendorchester Sachsen).
Orchestras he has worked with include: Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, Orchestra of the Musikalische Komödie Leipzig, Mendelssohn Orchestra Leipzig, Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, State Orchestra Darmstadt, Baden State Theatre Orchestra Karlsruhe, Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, Augsburg Philharmonic, Southwest German Philharmonic Konstanz, Elbland Philharmonie Sachsen, Essen Philharmonic, Saxon Wind Philharmonic, Clara Schumann Philharmonic Plauen-Zwickau, Argovia Philharmonic, and Kammerphilharmonie Graubünden.