Born and raised in Switzerland, Patrick Furrer studied piano in Zurich and conducting in Bern, Vienna and at the American Academy of Conducting in Aspen. After leading a local youth orchestra and several choirs in Switzerland, Mr Furrer embarked on his professional career at the Basel Opera, where he was engaged as a répétiteur and conductor, working on productions including ELEKTRA, TURANDOT, OTELLO, LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, DIE ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL, Bruno Maderna SATYRICON, Zimmermann DIE SOLDATEN, Frank Martin CORNET and JENUFA. Following his time in Basel he was appointed Erster Kapellmeister at the Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck where he conducted HÄNSEL UND GRETEL, Krenek JONNY SPIELT AUF, UN BALLO IN MASCHERA, Prokofiev ROMEO AND JULIET, DIE LUSTIGE WEIBER VON WINDSOR, COSÌ FAN TUTTE, OTELLO, DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE and WERTHER

Mr Furrer has worked extensively as a guest conductor including performances of L’ELISIR D’AMORE at the Volksoper Vienna, DON GIOVANNI at the Lucerne Opera, RIGOLETTO at the St. Gallen Opera, UN BALLO IN MASCHERA and DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE in Mannheim, and HÄNSEL UND GRETEL in Nürnberg. A return to the Theater Basel included performances of Othmar Schoeck PENTHESILEA, LA BOHÈME and DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER and for the Zurich Oper he conducted LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN. In 2015 he began his collaboration with the Academy for Performing Arts in Hong Kong with a new production of DIE FLEDERMAUS and since then he regularly returns for symphonic performances with the Academy Symphony Orchestra where his concerts have included Mahler Symphony No.5 and Mahler Symphony No.9, Stravinsky Petrushka and Richard Strauss Till Eulenspiegel.  For the Northwestern School of Music in Chicago he recently conducted a new production of Berlioz BÉATRICE ET BÉNÉDICT.  On the concert platform Mr Furrer has conducted the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Müncher Rundfunkorchester, Sinfonieorchester Basel, Sinfonieorchester Bern and the Niederösterreichisches Tonkünstler Orchester.

He joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera as an Assistant Conductor/Cover Conductor from the 2010/11 season and has worked there every subsequent season on many productions, working closely with Daniele Gatti, Philippe Jordan, Vladimir Jurowski, Fabio Luisi and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He has subsequently worked in the same capacity at the Salzburg Festival on productions including DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG, IL TROVATORE and WOZZECK.

At the Metropolitan Opera he made his conducing debut with three performances of DON CARLOS (including the HD broadcast) and this season conducted three performances of the company’s new production of LOHENGRIN.  In the 2023/24 season he will conduct nine performances of DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE.