Academic studies

Michael Schindhelm grew up in the former GDR and completed his Abitur with an emphasis on chemistry. He studied at the State University of Woronesch in the former USSR graduating with a degree in quantum chemistry.From 1984 to 1986 he started his work as assistant professor for the "Zentralinstitut für physikalische Chemie" of the East Berlin Academy of Science where he worked in the department of theoretical chemistry (director: Lutz Zülicke) along with the current German chancellor Angela Merkel. He then worked as translator, author, and dramatic advisor until 1990.

Theater

In 1990, Schindhelm became advisor to the theater manager in Nordhausen, and then director of the Nordhausen Loh-Orchester Sondershausen Foundation. In 1992 he was appointed theatre director in Gera. From 1994 to 1996 he was the general director of the theater in Altenburg. And from 1996 to 2006 he acted as director of the theatre in Basle (Switzerland). The Basle theatre was “theatre of the year 1999” and received the Bavarian Theatre Award in the same year and in 2001. In April 2005 he was appointed general director of the Opernstiftung (opera foundation) in Berlin. He acted as the first director general of the newly founded Opernstiftung comprising Berlin's three opera houses (Komische Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Deutsche Oper Berlin).

Literature/Film

Furthermore Michael Schindhelm continues to work as novelist, librettist, and translator (Russian/German). He has translated works by Gogol, Chekhov and Mandelstam into German. Since 2000 he published six books (fiction and non-fiction) and two opera libretti on Osip Mandelstam (Basel) and Gu Cheng (Berlin). In 2003 he filmed the documentary “Lied von der Steppe“ in the Gobi Desert in collaboration with Jörg Jeshel. From 2003 to 2008 he shot the film “Birds Nest“ on the making of the Beijing National Stadium in collaboration with Christoph Schaub. In 2003 Schindhelm appeared as a TV anchorman and as a host in the Swiss German TV talk show “Der Salon”.

His new book "Dubai Speed" was published in autumn 2009 and chronicles his experiences as a cultural director of the Dubai Arts and Culture Authority between 2007 and early 2009.

Cultural management

Schindhelm started working in Dubai in March 2007, and one year later he was appointed cultural director of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. His work there focused on the "Khor Dubai" project - the development of cultural infrastructure with museums and theaters along the creek.

Since Summer 2009 he operates internationally as a cultural advisor, in Hong Kong amongst other cities.