Koen Schoots was born in the Netherlands and has conducted around 60 different opera productions (AT, HU, DE, CH, USA). He began his career in musicals in 1992 as musical director of CATS (DE). Since first working with Frank Wildhorn in 1999 (JEKYLL & HYDE, EEA), he has been his musical supervisor of productions in Europe and Asia. He conducted THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (EEA), DRACULA (EEA) and RUDOLF (UA) in Budapest, for the last of which he was also musical supervisor (Vienna, Seoul). He arranges and orchestrates all of Wildhorn’s new works, including THE COUNT OF MONTE CHRISTO (UA). Since 2004, Schoots has been permanent visiting conductor at the Komische Oper Berlin and the Theater St. Gallen. From 2004 to 2010, he conducted at the St. Margarethen Opera Festival. Since 2010, he has been musical director and chief conductor of the VBW and is responsible for all musicals at VBW venues and for VBW-licensed productions abroad. He supervised ELISABETH in Germany and Seoul, and conducted the VBW visiting production of ELISABETH in Osaka and Tokyo in October 2012. He has also conducted concert performances of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (Ronacher 2012), LOVE NEVER DIES (Ronacher 2013) and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (2011, 2012, 2014). In the 2013 to 2016  seasons, he conducted a highly regarded new production of  WEST SIDE STORY at the Komische Oper Berlin. He also orchestrated and conducted the world premiere of Wildhorn’s ARTUS-EXCALIBUR at the Theater St. Gallen in the spring of 2014. On 30. April 2016, the musical DON CAMILLO & PEPPONE premiered in St Gallen, arranged and orchestrated by Koen Schoots. It will play at the Ronacher from January 2017.