Born in Munich, Manfred Hermann Lehner began his early music training at the Richard Strauss Conservatory and was a member of the Tölzer Knabenchor. Following further studies on the piano, violin, and viola, he attended the Salzburg Mozarteum, where he studied orchestral conducting with Michael Gielen, choral conducting with Walter Hagen-Groll, and piano with Dr. Karl Wagner. He received his master’s degree in conducting with highest honors from the Mozarteum and was awarded the Bernhard-Paumgartner Medal. He went on to study philosophy at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich. He has recently been engaged by the theaters in Klagenfurt and Nordhausen and this season conducted La Traviata, Evita, and Cinderella at the Theater Augsburg (Opera), where he is slated to conduct four productions next season. He also led the Philharmonishes Orchester Ausburg in a guest performances at the Großes Festspielhaus Salburg last April. He currently directs the Orchestra Academy Würmtal, which he played a major role in building up over the past two seasons, and with whom he has given concerts for Unicef. Mr. Lehner also teaches at the Hochschule für Music Nürnberg-Augsburg.