Mr. Runnicles was born in Scotland and educated there and at Cambridge University. Soon afterwards he went to Germany to work in opera, progressing from a job as répétiteur in Mannheim in 1980 to become General Music Director at the Freiburg Opera in 1989.

He made his North American debut in 1988 at a few hours’ notice conducting Berg’s Lulu at the Metropolitan Opera.

Now in his second decade as Music Director of the San Francisco Opera, Mr. Runnicles has led more than 40 productions in the house, including the highly-acclaimed North American premiere of Olivier Messiaen’s St. François d’Assise and world premieres of Conrad Susa’s Dangerous Liaisons and of Michael Korie and Stewart Wallace’s Harvey Milk.

Mr. Runnicles has ongoing musical relationships with some of the finest orchestras and opera companies in the U.S. and Europe. Among those in the U.S. are the San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony, and New World Symphony. Last season he made his debut appearances with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

He is a frequent guest on podiums in London, Hamburg, and Munich. He also conducts regularly at the London Proms and the Edinburgh, Salzburg, and Bayreuth Festivals.

Mr. Runnicles’s recordings with the ASO and its Choruses include a new Mozart Requiem , the Beethoven Ninth Symphony , and Orff’s Carmina burana.

He has also recorded a Grammy-nominated CD with tenor Ben Heppner of German Romantic opera arias, a disc of Ring excerpts with the Dresden Staatskapelle, Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, Bellini’s Capuleti e i Montecchi, and a CD with soprano Jane Eaglen of works by Strauss, Wagner, and Berg.

Among the many awards bestowed upon Mr. Runnicles are the title of Officer of the British Empire (OBE) – presented during his 50th-birthday gala at the San Francisco Opera – and an honorary degree from Edinburgh University.